Fallen Instinct
by Koorinoen
Summary: "I am a Slytherin from head to toe, don't worry." What would Slytherin instinct lead to? Seventh year story featuring Harry, Snape and a mysterious new Slytherin girl. My first HP fic, please r/r!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Anything that you recognize belongs to J.K Rowling, I am just writing for fun.The usual stuff.  
  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
Every student in the Great Hall was looking at her.  
  
Of course, a seventh year transfer was much more interesting than the new first years, but all the attention on her was for a different reason.  
  
The girl at the end of the sorting line up was absolutely beautiful. Tall, lean, well proportioned, and very pale, so pale that she seemed unreal. But her pale skin is the only light colour about her. She dressed in black from head to toe. Her hair was black and short, but with long bangs. Then, there were her eyes. Even at a great distance, no one could miss out that pair of enormous black pools.  
  
"Kenmura, Koori." Professor MacGonagall finally called her name.  
  
Gracefully, she walked up the steps, sat on the 3-footed stool and allowed the sorting hat to be placed on her head.  
  
Everyone held his breath, all the boys were praying to have her in their houses. That, includes Harry Potter of Gryffindor.  
  
It must be one of the hardest decisions for the sorting hat. It kept murmuring and swaying for 3 full minutes before it called out its decision.  
  
"Slytherin!" The other three houses groaned, while the Slythereins clapped loudly.  
  
Expressionless, the girl stood up, took off the hat and walked down the stairs. The one side of her lips curled up slightly and joined her house at the Slytherin table. Her robes billowed behind her as she walked.  
  
"Pity." Ron Weasley said to Harry. "She must be the only good looking Slytherin in the school."  
  
"It's not that bad, really." Harry replied. "Think about it. Doesn't her appearance and movement resemble Snape somehow?"  
  
Ron glanced toward the potion master, Severus Snape and back at the girl, then he smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, sort of."  
  
Headmaster Dumbledore stood up and started his opening speech. Nothing but the usual. However, as Harry noticed, the atmosphere seemed less tense than the last two years.  
  
The force of Voldemort was nearly crushed. Voldemort disappeared again, although he didn't lose his power like last time. He was simply on the run, but it was still less threatening.  
  
Magically, the foods appeared on the plate. Harry reached for his fork, but he was stopped by a sudden twitch of his scar on his forehead. Alarmed, he looked around, and saw Professor Snape giving off suspicious stare at the Slytherin table. He followed his gaze, and saw the new girl looked away when their gaze met.  
  
  
  
Harry tossed and turned on his canopy bed. It's too hot. Even in the castle, the heat of early September still managed to penetrate the stone wall. It's in fact even worse. The stone wall made the room felt damp.  
  
Harry had already kicked away the blanket, but it was still impossible to sleep.  
  
Finally, he gave up the idea of sleeping. Quietly, Harry got up, found his invisibility cloak and slipped out of the portrait hole. Carefully checking each hallway for the sight of Snape, Filch or Mrs Norris, Harry left the castle building and headed toward the lake, hoping a walk would tire him out and allow him to get some sleep.  
  
Once he reached the lake, he let out the breath he had been holding and took off the cloak.  
  
It was a slightly cloudy night, but the lawn was brightly lit by the half moon which was travelling in and out the clouds like a ghostly galleon. The warm, humid breeze formed silver ripples on the lake surface and caused the tree to make the continuous flapping sound.  
  
Harry sat down, enjoying the night music made by the trees and a cricket near by. Suddenly, he had a feeling of being watched, and then he heard a silky, smooth voice.  
  
"Good evening."  
  
He turned abruptly around to the source of he voice, but only looked into a shadow by a tree. However, he was slightly relieved that the voice didn't belong to Snape. It was silky and smooth, but it belonged to a female. Also, unlike Snape's cold voice, this one had some temperature in it.  
  
"Who is it?" Harry asked.  
  
"Lumos." A small fire lit up the shadow. In the dim light, Harry saw the pale face of the new Slytherin girl.  
  
"Oh, good evening."  
  
"Beautiful night, isn't it?" She said with a small smile. Her English had an accent, but Harry wasn't sure what it is. It sounds more American than British.  
  
"Indeed. Um, care to join me, miss.."  
  
"Thank you, I'd love to." She stepped out of the shadow and sat down beside Harry. "My name is Koori Kenmura, by the way." She held out a hand.  
  
Harry took it and shook it. "Harry Potter."  
  
She merely nodded and asked, "Gryffindor?"  
  
Harry smiled bitterly. "Yes. And you are a Slytherein."  
  
She blinked. "Is there anything wrong with that? Excuse me for my imperfect understanding of the house system."  
  
"No, it's just the house rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor is rather intense." Harry is slightly surprised by Koori's reaction and decided to change topic. "You are from another country, Ko-o-ri?" Harry tried his best to pronounce her name right.  
  
"Yes, Mr. Potter. From Japan, to be precise."  
  
"Call me Harry. Only my enemies call me by my last name."  
  
Koori arched an eyebrow and laughed. "Then I assume Mr. Draco Malfoy must be one of them, since he kept calling you Potter."  
  
"He would do anything to get me expelled. But say, Koori, what school do you go to in Japan, do they have a wizard school there?"  
  
"Of course. There are several. I went to the largest one, Kamita. It's way up in Haikaddo. It teaches a whole different branch of magic there."  
  
"How long have you been in Britain?"  
  
"Only a week, but I visit here quite often. My parents works for Sony corporation, you see, they have a lot of business trips to London, so I took the advantage of travelling with them. Now they are transferred to London headquarters. See, I am still fighting jet lag, that's why I'm wandering around the school in midnight." She left out a short laugh.  
  
"You are muggle-born?" Harry was yet surprised again.  
  
"I am adopted, so I don't know. Why?"  
  
"I am surprised. Most Slytherins are pure blood. Lots of them value blood line, Malfoy, for one."  
  
"That's stupid and ignorance of them. It's like racism in muggle world, you know."  
  
Harry chuckled. "You know, this is the first friendly conversation with a Slytherin I ever had in my whole six years in Hogward. Are you sure that you're a Slytherin."  
  
Again, Koori startled and then laughed. "Oh, I don't know. What's the primary requirements for Slytherin?"  
  
"Ambition. Slyness, willing to do whatever to reach their goal."  
  
"Then I am a Slytherin from head to toe. Don't worry." She assured him, then she yawned. "Excuse me."  
  
"That's all right. Maybe we should go back to our dormitories now. We have classes tomorrow morning."  
  
"What do you have tomorrow?"  
  
"Potions first, then tranfiguring."  
  
"Me too."  
  
"You'll love potions. Professor Snape, the head of your house teaches it. He rather favours your house."  
  
"Snape?" she raised an eyebrow. "Severus Snape? He teaches here?"  
  
"Yes, why?  
  
"Oh, nothing. Let's hurry. I heard some talk about him, and I would not like to mess up with him." Koori stood up and tossed a stray of hair away from her eyes.  
  
Harry found that gesture was terribly similar to Snape's. He stood up as well and picked up his invisibility cloak.  
  
"What's that?" Koori asked.  
  
"Something that helps me to sneak out." Harry smiled mischievously.  
  
"Ah, I see." Koori smiled back.  
  
"But what about you? You can't just walk back like this. You'll get caught!"  
  
"Let's just say that I have my way. Ja ne!" With a smile and a wave, she turned and strode away, her black robe sweeping behind her.  
  
"I guess she is a Slytherin after all."  
  
  
  
  
  
Slytherin girls' dormitory.  
  
A golden eagle that was standing on a chair back suddenly tensed at the hissing sound by the open window, but relaxed when it saw the source.  
  
Under the silver moonlight, a great king cobra was pushing its way in to the room. It was all black except one white spot on either side of its hood. The eyes of the snake were two black beads instead of the usual amber colour for reptile.  
  
The king cobra started to rise and extended its hood. The next second, the snake became a girl dressed in black.  
  
At the sight of the girl, the eagle let out a small unsatisfactory screech and looked away.  
  
"There, there, Ryu." Koori Kenmura idly stroked the eagle's feather while trying to brush off some dirt on her clothes. "You know it's only me. Sorry I'm late. I ran into an interesting person. Here." She had the eagle standing on her wrist and reached out of the window, "go get some snack." The eagle flew away.  
  
Koori changed into her pajama, laid on her canopy bed and stared at the night sky.  
  
"Hmm, Harry Potter. Kami, it might be harder than I thouhgt." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
"Dddddd..."  
  
Everyone in seventh year potions turned to the source of the sound.  
  
Koori Kenmura stood by her desk, chopping away slippery daisy roots almost absentmindedly, it was clear she didn't notice the rhythmic sound she was making or the attention her classmate was giving her.  
  
Finally, Snape seemed to decided that he found the sound distracting. Soundlessly, he moved to stand directly behind Koori.  
  
Koori was still chopping, didn't seem to notice Snape's presence.  
  
"Miss Kenmura." Snape said.  
  
Koori didn't seem to be surprised or frightened at all by this silky voice. She simply stopped chopping.  
  
"Kenmura, sir." She answered with equal silkiness.  
  
"I beg your pardon."  
  
"You pronounced my name wrong, sir." She turned around to face him. "It's Ken-mu-ra, not Camera."  
  
The classroom atmosphere tensed. No one had ever had the courage to correct Snape, and with such a calm face too.  
  
Snape, however, only raised an eyebrow. "Kenmura." He repeated, this time with perfect pronunciation. "Sword village. Transferred from Kamita, aren't you? From the way you handle the knife, I believe Fujita-sensei is still teaching."  
  
"Fujita-sensei loves to educate the eager young minds as much as you do, professor." Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw the Gryffindors trying hard to hide their snicker.  
  
Snape could not help frowning. "Well then, let's see what Fujita-sensei's urge of teaching had accomplished. Show me your roots."  
  
With a smile, Koori stepped aside.  
  
Too everyone's surprise, despite the hasty chopping, the roots were evenly spaced, each piece precisely to the recommended size. Unable to find anything wrong, Snape nodded and said, "Well, in my opinion potion making is rather a quiet process. I must remind you that kendo or any art of blade is not the purpose of the class."  
  
The rest of the lesson went through peacefully. Koori was the first one the finish the potion.  
  
The bell rang. Students started to gather up their thing and leave.  
  
"Miss Kenmura," Snape said, "A word, please."  
  
Koori gracefully put down her books and stood by Snape's desk respectfully. Snape remained sitting at the desk, marking until the classroom was empty, then he got up and stood right in front to her, so close that she can feel his breath.  
  
"Well," he said, "What are you doing in Hogwarts?"  
  
Koori looked up, giving him a blank stare.  
  
"Let me rephrase that." He started circling her. "What is a born death eater, initiated as well, doing in Horwarts when she knows that it is the most dangerous place for her to be?"  
  
"How do you know about me being a deatheater?" she asked.  
  
"Deatheaters can always sense each other." He stopped, bent down a bit and breathe in a deep breath at her nape. "And such a strong aura of snake." He straightened up. "If you have not do anything to your appearance, you are quiet young for an initiated deatheater. What did you do already?"  
  
Koori gave him an innocent smile. "Still sharp, I see. I am sent here by the dark lord. But that is not the only reason of my presence in Hogwarts. I am also here for a personal quest. To accomplish that, I need the trust of certain people."  
  
"Such as?"  
  
"You, for instance. And the headmaster. I don't need any of you to aid me in my quest, I just need you to not to interfere."  
  
"And why would I, knowing that you are a deatheater, but come to the school on your own scheme, trust you?"  
  
Her smile widened. "No need to talk double sense here. Severus Snape, your double angent identity is quite clear to me. Otherwise, Professor Dumbledore would not let you teach here, even though you are a great potion master."  
  
"You believe trust can be established by threat?" Snape arched an eyebrow.  
  
"It is not a threat, merely a statement. Just to tell you that there is no point to hide in front of me."  
  
"Is it? Now, pray, tell," said Snape, "why would I trust you, when you are trusted by Voldemort?"  
  
"Did the headmaster trust you when you come to the light?"  
  
"He did."  
  
"Yet you were trusted by the dark lord at the time, weren't you?"  
  
"Yes, but I had a very good reason for my conversion."  
  
"To protect certain light memory?"  
  
Snape's eyes widened for a moment.  
  
Koori folded her arms across her chest and leaned on the desk. "Voldemort doesn't necessarily trust me. He just needs me to regain his power. I am his last chance. He has no choice. But I have no other wish but to destroy him completely."  
  
"I don't see the reason. If Voldemort returns with full power, you, being the one who helped him to it, would be rewarded with great power as well. What would you gain if he's destroyed."  
  
Koori shook her head while a bitter smile displayed on her lips. "I know him too well. If he returns, everything I cared in the world would be gone. Very much like you, I have people and memories to protect, and I also have a name to be cleaned. I waited 16 years to do that and this is my chance. Don't stop me."  
  
Snape just stared.  
  
"I see you still don't trust me." Her voice softened, almost sound bitter. "I don't blame you. 16 years, 3 short syllables, such a long time. You've changed. You changed so much that I couldn't recognize you when I see you in the great hall. I'm glad that you voice didn't change much, still silky and smooth, only deeper now. You have no idea how much I missed it."  
  
Stunned, Snape took a step back. "Who are you?" He asked menacingly.  
  
But Koori stepped closer, leaned forward and drew in a deep breath. Snape could feel the tip of her nose brushing against his chest.  
  
"You still smell like herb." She continued, "That didn't change. You always smell this soothing. You were the only one who could calm down when I cried."  
  
Snape looked down at the girl, stared at her face, hard, and then focused on her eyes. Those two big, bottomless dark pools. Yes, those were HER eyes.  
  
"Serpentina." He whispered the name. For 16 years, this was the first time he pronounced that name clearly.  
  
Her eyes brightened at hearing that name. "So you do remember."  
  
"Of course." Snape said, then his famous "Snape sneer" returned to his lips.  
  
"Anything you found amusing?" Koori asked.  
  
"You can talk properly now."  
  
Koori raised an eyebrow, and let out a short laugh. "Well, transfiguring next, got to run." She tossed a stray of hair out of her eye, picked up her books. "Good day, Sevie." Her lips curled up for a moment, then she disappeared at the doorway, leaving the sound of her footsteps echoing in the hall.  
  
Snape sunk into his chair. He had not feel this hopeful for many year.  
  
"So she lived." He muttered to himself.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Please review!! A big thank you to my only reviewer for Chapter one!  
  
A/N: 1. In Japanese, an "r" is almost pronounced like a "l".  
  
2. The name "Kenmura" literally means "sword village", while "Koori" means "ice".  
  
Japanese used in the first two chapters:  
  
Ja ne: See you! Or Later!  
  
Ryu: literally means "dragon", in this case is a name.  
  
Kami: god  
  
Kamita: literally "field of god"  
  
Sensei: master, teacher 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
  
  
Professor McGonagall stopped mid-sentence as the transfiguring class room door flew open. Koori Kenmura stood there with her books.  
  
"Why, Miss Kenmura." Professor McGonagall started to speak.  
  
"Uh, Professor," To everyone's surprise, it was Draco Malfoy who spoke up. "Professor Snape kept her after class."  
  
"Oh." A sympathetic look took Professor McGonagall's eyes. "I see. Then take seat, quickly now, Miss Kenmura."  
  
That day was bound to be a day to remember for the seventh year Slytherins and Gryffindors, for they were a to receive several shocks in a row. Here was another one.  
  
Koori Kenmura, a new Slytherin transfer, sat down in the empty seat beside Harry Potter, the famous Gryffindor. Even Professor McGonagall's eyes widened for a second.  
  
"Hello, Harry." Koori whispered while sitting down. Harry thought he heard a soft metal cling inside her robe.  
  
"Hello. What did Snape keep you for? It's rare for him to keep a Slytherin, you know."  
  
"Oh, he just want to know where I am in Potions, just in case I need help to pass NEWT."  
  
"It's a bit scary."  
  
The conversation was cut short by Professor McGonagall's voice. "Mr. Potter, Miss Kenmura! Would you two please pay attention!"  
  
The look on Professor McGonagall's face made Harry twitch a bit. Although it was not as bad as Snape, but to endure his head of house's fury was not something to enjoy.  
  
Koori, however, remained calm. "I'm sorry, professor." She said and bowed slightly.  
  
"Miss Kenmura, would you please transfer this into what is was before." Professor McGonagall put a teddy bear on Koori's desk.  
  
A few people snickered, but most students in the room held their breath.  
  
Harry gulped. He was glad that he wasn't picked. That particular spell was taught last year. It was a hard spell, and worst of all, he didn't remember it anymore.  
  
Koori took out her wand. Harry noticed that she had the wand in her left hand. She cleared her throat and said the incarnation. With a "pop", the teddy bear became a black kitten. It shook its fur and yawned, then jumped into Koori's lap.  
  
"Very well, Miss Kenmura. I'm glad that you are up to date." Professor McGonagall said without a smile. "Now please understand that chitchat is not allowed in my class."  
  
"Of course, professor." Koori bowed again with a smile that did not reach her eyes. Her voice was silky, devoid of any emotion.  
  
Harry gave Koori an apologetic look, but Koori only smiled sweetly at him. The smile made Harry became a little too self-concious.  
  
  
  
"Hey Kenmura."  
  
Koori finished reading the last line on the page and turned the page before looking up at the speaker.  
  
It was Draco Malfoy standing in front of her, with his two sidekicks, Crabbe and Goyle.  
  
She sighed inwardly, wondering what had she done to deserve this interruption during her leisure reading after school in this big armchair in the Slytherin common room  
  
"Yes, Mr. Malfoy?"  
  
"Why did you sit with Potter today?"  
  
"Because it was the seat nearest to me."  
  
"Then why did you talk to Potter?" Malfoy almost spat the name.  
  
"Harry and I had a brief encounter. It turned out that we can get along quite well."  
  
"Do you realize that you are a Slytherin? You are not supposed to get along with a Gryffindor."  
  
"Is it?" Koori sneered, then suddenly produced a huge book out of nowhere and threw it at Malfoy's feet. "Slytherin code of conduct. Look through it and tell me where did it say that Slytherin should hate Gryffindor."  
  
Malfoy exchanged looks with his two goons, then they took out their wand.  
  
"I see you still need to learn the code of conduct in 'Serpent's Den'." Malfoy said whiled aimed his wand at Koori.  
  
Koori raised an eyebrow. "Put your wands away. I don't like to hurt my own house mates."  
  
Malfoy's face almost became green. "Serpensortia Invertus!" He yelled. A snake shot out from Malfoy's wand. Malfoy sneered as the snake hissed at Koori and moved toward her menacingly.  
  
Koori stared at the snake and then smiled a most sweet smile. She held out a hand at it.  
  
Then, she started hissing.  
  
Malfoy's face immediately paled as he realized the mistake he made.  
  
The snake crawled into her hand and rubbed against her finger.  
  
"You, you are a parselmouth." Malfoy studdered.  
  
Koori smiled at him while kissing the snake on its head. She then hissed at the snake again.  
  
The snake turned to Malfoy, then attacked.  
  
Watching Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle running around the common room, chased by the snake, Koori smiled and sunk deeper into the armchair. At the same time, she also let out a breath she was secretly holding. It was her luck that Malfoy happened to use that spell. She shuddered when she thought about to be forced to pull her wand or kodachi, or even worse, to show her "form". Considering all this, showing that she was a parselmouth was the least of her concern.  
  
  
  
Meanwhile, in the Gryffindor common room.  
  
"I can't believe you talked to her." Hemione Granger paced up and down, while Harry and Ron each sat in an armchair. "I mean, I know she said hi first and it's polite to answer, but you don't have to start a conversation with her. She's Slytherin."  
  
"She's nice." Harry said lazily.  
  
"Yeah, a nice Slytherin. That's an oxymoron, you know." Hemione rolled her eyes.  
  
"Come on, Hemione, you can't generalize people. Are all blonde people stupid?"  
  
"It's different!" Hemione hissed. "People get sorted into Slytherin because they are nasty to Gryffindors. Also, there's something about that Kenmura that creeps me out. Don't you feel it, Ron?"  
  
"No." Ron shook his head. "On the contrary, I think she's very pretty."  
  
Hemione felt like to strangle Ron, while Harry roared with laughter.  
  
"Anyway, Harry," Hemione continued when Harry finally calmed down. "The sorting hat must've put her into Slytherin for a reason. She might have a scheme after you. You can never trust people like her too much."  
  
  
  
Koori curled up on her bed with the book she just signed out from library. The common room was way too noisy.  
  
The good thing about being a seventh year transfer was that because everyone else all had roommate from year one, you have you own room.  
  
Koori flipped another page. She had to catch up on Charms. Still, she was yet to get used to wand. It's a convenient thing to use, but old habits die hard.  
  
Ryu was silently on the chair back beside her bed. Although normally Hogwarts would like students to have an owl instead of an eagle, but since Ryu had her pet for years, Hogwarts had to let Ryu stay. Obviously he couldn't go to the owlery, so he was conveniently stuffed into her room.  
  
Koori's original intention was to read on dark art. Defense against dark art was the subject she really needed to catch up with. However all the books about this subject were locked in the restricted section. Without a note from a teacher, she had no access to it. Koori made a mental note to ask Snape for it. She just didn't understand why the school would keep the students away from those books. Dark or not, it was still magic. It was still knowledge.  
  
A gentle autumn breeze came in through her open windows, along with a tiny, white butterfly.  
  
Koori looked up from her book in surprise. The weather was already too cold for butterfly.  
  
The butterfly, however, flew straight to her and floated around her as if she were a flower.  
  
Koori smiled and held up a hand. The butterfly landed on her index finger, slowly flapping its wings and moving its antennae. It looked like a small, white orchid had grown out on Koori's hand.  
  
The butterfly stayed on her finger for a while before it took off again, hovered in front of her nose to bid her farewell, and then flew toward the open window.  
  
Koori kept smiling sweetly as she watched the small insect approached the window. She picked up her wand, slowly and carefully aimed at her leaving guest.  
  
"Avada Kedavra." She whispered with the same smile on her face.  
  
Another breeze rushed in. The butterfly suddenly drew a circle in the air and then drifted to the floor like a piece of paper.  
  
Ryu screeched. Koori stroked his feather.  
  
"You can never really trust someone like me too much, ne?"  
  
  
  
Thanks for reading, please review!! All comments and critiques welcome!  
  
A/N: I know I probably got the weather of Britain wrong. It's probably really really cold in Britain in early September. But this is a magical world, let just pretend anything can happen here. (Sweat drop.)  
  
Japanese used in this chapter:  
  
Kodachi: a kind of sword that is shorter than a normal samurai sword, but longer than a dagger.  
  
Ne: it's sort of like saying "isn't it" at the end of the sentence. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Severus Snape walked into the headmaster's office. The headmaster's request to see him came upon the most unsuitable time. He was still yet to recover from the shock he just received from the conversation he just had with Koori Kenmura.  
  
Koori. Ice. His heart tightened as he thought about the girl. The new name suited her well, at least much better than her old name. Why didn't he see it before? To think of it, the girl looked exactly like her mother, same dark eyes, same bow-shaped lips, same pale skin. He sighed as he thought about the girl's mother, tried unsuccessfully again to convince himself that there wasn't anything he could have done at the time.  
  
However, a promise is a promise. It had to be kept.  
  
The door of the study opened on its own. He stepped in.  
  
"You asked for me, headmaster?" He said rather stiffly. For a moment, he wondered whether the headmaster know about the true identity of Koori.  
  
"Ah, Severus, have a seat." Dumbledore looked up from his paperwork, and conjured up two mugs of hot chocolate.  
  
Snape took his mug without any complain. As much as he hated anything sweet, Dumbledore's hot chocolate was a wonder. He sat down in the chair across Dumbledore, and shifted as he felt the gaze of the portraits on the wall fell on him. Somehow he was never confident enough when he was in this office.  
  
Dumbledore took a sip of his hot chocolate before speaking.  
  
"Well, Severus, I trust that you have noticed Miss Kenmura."  
  
So he knew. Snape thought to himself. "Yes. In fact, I had talked to her after my seventh year class."  
  
"And?"  
  
Snape snorted at Dumbledore's pretended ignorance. "Oh, come, Albus, you know who she is long before I found out, didn't you. She's 'The-Girl- Who-Disappeared', Serpentina."  
  
"No, I didn't know. I only had my guess." Dumbledore stood up and paced to the window, looking over the Quidditch pit. "So, how is she? Does she remember?"  
  
"She remembers everything. It's part of her gift. And she told me that she was sent for, although she does have a scheme on her own."  
  
Dumbledore nodded. "Minerva had just told me that she sat down beside young Mr. Potter today in her class, and chatted with him in a rather pleasant way."  
  
" 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' and 'The-Girl-Who-Disappeared'. Fair match." Snape leaned back in his chair.  
  
"Severus, must I express my concern verbally?" There was a trace of impatience in Dumbledore's tone.  
  
"Albus, why did you let her come if you don't trust her?"  
  
"You know it very well. I cannot keep her from Hogwarts because of her past. She is yet to declare her position in the war. Also, her great power needs to be supervised. That power, if Voldemort can use it, we can use it against him."  
  
"Headmaster, Koori is not just a tool."  
  
"And I am well aware of it." Dumbledore's eyes softened at the desperation in Snape's voice. "Severus, I understand how you feel about Miss Kenmura and your promise to her mother. But in time like this, we can't be selfish at all. Mr. Potter possesses great power, yes, but that power is untrained. Miss. Kenmura, however, according to you observation, was well self-trained in infancy. Her education in a different branch of magic could be very useful. Also, there is her gift. If Voldemort can be found and defeated before he rises again, she is our last chance. The only question is, can she be trusted?"  
  
"What do you think, Headmaster?"  
  
"I had only a very brief talk with her, and I had to admit that she had built a nice mask. Therefore, I am not sure. I can now only rely on your judgment."  
  
Snape stood up and paced around. Finally, he stopped by Fawkes and stroked its feather.  
  
"I trust her, Headmaster." His voice was well grounded despite of the waves of emotions crushing in his mind. "She is exactly like her mother. And her mother had such a gentle soul."  
  
  
  
"You what?" Malfoy stared at the dark-eyed girl with surprise.  
  
"I said I want to try out for the Quidditch team." Koori leaned against the fire place in the common room. "I heard that you are the person to talk to."  
  
"I am the captain." Malfoy remembered yesterday's attack again and make sure that he didn't sound too arrogant. No one got hurt, but it was a fright all the same. "We, er, we never had a girl on team."  
  
"Maybe it's a time for a change then." Koori said coolly.  
  
"Uh, sure." Malfoy didn't realize that he was stuttering a little. All he thought about was the feeling of the snake's cold body wrapped tightly around his neck. "What position are you trying out for?"  
  
"Seeker."  
  
"But I am the seeker!" Malfoy jumped up and advanced one step toward Koori before his sense took over his sudden rage.  
  
Koori merely tilted her head and blinked innocently a few times. "Yes, I know that. But we need a better one." She stated matter-of-factly. Malfoy nearly took out his wand again. "I heard that in the past six years, we've never defeated Gryffindor, not even once, but the other two teams were no threat to us. So I thought maybe it was because Gryffindor's team is way ahead of the general level. In that case, the only way that we might win the Quidditch Cup again is to get the snitch before Gryffindor had scored many goals. I also heard that Harry Potter is a brilliant flyer. So maybe what we can do now is to get a better seeker."  
  
"But, but how can you be a better seeker than I am?" Malfoy said angrily.  
  
Koori smiled. "In fact, I am a better seeker than you are. I can assure you that I am the best flyer in the house, and perhaps in the whole school."  
  
In the next few seconds the two just stared at each other. Finally, Malfoy gave in. "Fine, come on the practice on Thursday."  
  
"Thanks." Koori bowed slightly and went up to her room.  
  
Malfoy let out a breath he didn't realize that he was holding. When they were in their "stare contest", he felt not only the girl's cold, intense glare, but also a flare of aura, of power that was so strong and unnatural, that he had no choice but to fear.  
  
  
  
A/N: OK, this is a relative short chapter. I really wish that there are 48 hours in a day. Sigh.  
  
I felt that all the original characters are slightly out of characters, don't you think so? Also, I just read syrupjunkie's column about characterization and 'Mary Sue'. To my horror, I found out that Koori Kenmura seems some-what like a Mary Sue so far. Is it true, or am I just paranoid? I am really trying to create a complex character with a troubled mind! Please tell me if there is any problem with Koori's character.  
  
Thanks to all those who reviewed! Please keep do it! ^_^ 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Two weeks passed by uneventfully. Koori Kenmura still behaved out of normal Slytherin character. She sat by Harry in every transfiguring class, and would carry on small, friendly chatter with him before and after class. Although she was no one to eagerly raise her hand, her there was no doubt and she excelled in all of her classes. What made Hermione Granger frustrated is that although she often sees the Japanese transfer in library, but she was rarely there to study, instead, she was there for leisure reading.  
  
After the snake incident, no one from the Serpent's den dared to come out and stop the development of friendship between their fellow Slytherin and Gryffindor, but the development stopped at Harry Potter. Sure, Koori was always pleasant and polite to everyone, but it was only with Harry that she would warm up and get into a conversation. In fact, she rarely notice Harry's too best friend other than a courteous nod and a smile when she saw them.  
  
Koori, on the other hand, had started to found Hogwarts boring sometimes, or rather, lonely. She had the Quidditch try out, and as she expected, she made the team no problem. Because Malfoy wouldn't give up his position as the seeker, she was the back up seeker.  
  
Her house mates were boring, but usefully discrete. No one outside her house had known that she was a parselmouth yet.  
  
Studies were easy. She finally got used to her wand, not that she used it often. No, wand was too easy; it would reduce her control of her power. She must not become dependent on that little piece of wood.  
  
Most important of all, she needed to think. Common room and library were noisy and crowded. Even her own room could not keep her mind organized and focused enough. Soon, she found her place.  
  
In the night, she would take her broom, and sometimes Ryu, and fly to the roof of Hufflepuff tower. It was hidden in the shadow of the Gryffindor tower for most of the time during nighttime, therefore it was very unlikely to get caught. She'd sit there for hours, to remember, and to think about her quest.  
  
  
  
On that particular night, she was there again, alone. She had sent Ryu to deliver a letter to her foster parents in London. Not that writing to them would make any difference to her situation here, it was just over the years, she learned to love them.  
  
Koori sat there and watched clouds gliding over the dark night sky for quite a while before she broke the silence.  
  
"If you wish to speak or deduct house point, professor, perhaps you should come out."  
  
Severus Snape sighed and walked out of the shadow he'd been hiding. "You are right." He said and he approached Koori, "I can deduce house point. I believe it's well past curfew, Miss Kenmura."  
  
"You can, but you won't." Koori smiled at him.  
  
"And may I ask why?"  
  
"Because it's me."  
  
Snape raised an eyebrow. "You know I don't practice favoritism."  
  
That earned a soft, but clearly amused laugh from Koori.  
  
"Miss Kenmura, I suggest you to take the time to come up with a good reason to not to give you detention than showing me your teeth."  
  
"I'll tell if you insist. It is because you know who I am, what I was. You, of all people should understand that I need a place to think and sort thing out. Also," She gave her mischievous grin, "I'm a Slytherin."  
  
That brought a sneer to Snape's face. He sat down beside her. "So what do you think of Hogwarts?"  
  
"Hogwarts? Not bad. Very medieval and quite easy. Although I can't say that I like it better than Kamita."  
  
"I can imagine that you don't like the atmosphere here."  
  
"You are right. I really don't like the house system. It's almost dangerous."  
  
"But it can't be more dangerous that Kamita. Is it true that physical punishment is still allowed there?"  
  
"Oh come on, it's not nearly as bad as ten years ago. After all, what can be worse that Cruciatus curse?"  
  
Snape's jaw tensed. Koori decided to change the subject. "So, professor, does Headmaster know about me?"  
  
"He knows."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I ensured him that you can be trusted."  
  
"Then I thank you professor."  
  
"We are outside of classroom right now, you don't have to call me 'professor' if you don't wish to."  
  
"All right, Sevie then. And you may call me 'Serpentina' for the old times' sake." Koori looked at him with an eyebrow arched, challenging him.  
  
As she expected, he flinched at that name.  
  
"Old times hurt, sir." She continued. "What's past is past. I am your student just like everyone else in the school now. After all, you don't practice favoritism." She let out a dry laugh. "You didn't expect it, did you? But really, the past can wait. Listen." She tilted her head to the evening breeze and closed her eyes. "It's hate. It's hate and rage in the wind. He's out there hiding somewhere. Plotting and waiting, he'll try everything to come back."  
  
Snape watched her listening to the wind. It was one of her gifts. Slowly, he saw her began to change. Her face lost the youthful, girlish figure and grew paler. Her short hair became longer and floated in the breeze.  
  
He extended a hand to touch those long black silk, but touched nothing but air. Then he realized that he had only saw an image of his memory, a ghost from his past.  
  
He closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, he found himself looking into Koori's dark, concerning eyes.  
  
He took a deep breath and asked the question that he'd been waiting and fearing for 16 years.  
  
"What happened on that night?"  
  
  
  
A/N: Er. This one is even shorter..but since the X-mas break had started, I should be able to update faster, if anyone still cares...  
  
Anyway, thanks for reading and please please please review, consider it a Christmas gift, please? (cutest smile.) 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
"What happened on that night?" There, he asked it, and was ready for the consequences.  
  
She held him with her steady gaze for a long time before answering. "The night she. . . she got kissed?"  
  
Snape had to admire the girl's courage and self control. She had said the word without shuddering. He nodded in return, not trusting his voice.  
  
"She heard danger coming well before you left." Koori looked up to the night sky and started her recollection. "Even you could probably sense it. She didn't think that we could make it. You were our last chance, so I guess she decided to gamble. After you left, she just did the usual thing. You know, cleaning the cottage, washed me and tried to rock me to sleep. But I couldn't, because I could hear the danger coming too. I kept crying and asking her where you were. She just told me that everything would be all right, that you will come back to save us. Then we both sensed the dementors. I saw her face grew paler than usual and cold. She ran upstairs and locked me into the nursery. But you know me. Opening a lock wasn't a problem for me. I felt the cold and horror and I wanted to see. I snuck out. I wish I didn't."  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. She knew her voice had started to tremble. She needed a moment to steady it.  
  
"I saw them came in." She continued. "Those filthy creatures. I didn't know what they were, of course, otherwise I would've gone down and stopped her. At the beginning she didn't do anything. She just obeyed and let them bound her hands. Then one of them moved toward the stairs, she. . . she showed her form."  
  
Snape had remained silent so far, but even he gasped when he heard the last word.  
  
"You are right, professor. It wasn't a pretty sight." Koori chuckled bitterly. "I mean, of course her form was beautiful. She looked so pure, almost translucent, but imagine the struggle, sir! Imagine the struggle in the eyes of a one-year-old."  
  
Snape stared at the girl. Anger had replaced the silkiness in her voice. Her eyes were burning. If there was any uncertainty or fear when she started her tale, it was replaced by rage now. The glitter in her dark eyes reminded him of another pair of black eyes, the ones that never opened again after that night.  
  
It was his fault.  
  
"She actually took out several of them." Koori continued through gritted teeth. "But there were too many of them. It took too much energy to stay in form and each one of them was draining her. It was only a matter of time. . . . One of them grabbed her, another one pushed off its hood and-"  
  
Either of them needed to continue, for both of them knew what happened. A child had witnessed her mother being kissed by a dementor.  
  
There was a very awkward silence. Snape looked at Koori. She looked drained. Her eyes, which were burning only a moment ago, were now empty. Her pale face showed no emotion at all, only stared blankly into the night sky. Snape shuddered. This face reminded him too much of the face he saw on that night when he returned to the cottage. Forcing himself to focus, he asked her: "Then what happened to you?"  
  
"Me?" She turned to look at him, her eyes were sad, but her voice dripped with sarcasm. "Even I can't believe my luck. I ran back into the nursery. Some brave and clever daughter I was. Out of desperation I jumped out of the nursery window. And guess who I found in our backyard? Patricia Lestrange."  
  
"Lestrange?" Snape was surprised. As long as he remembered, the woman didn't like Koori or her mother at all.  
  
"The very same. She must've heard something about the attack. Knowing that I am the last chance for Voldemort to return, she decided to save me. She made a random destination portkey, or I think that was what it was. The next thing I knew I was in muggle Tokyo. I wandered on streets for a few days and was finally sent into a police station. Then they put me into an orphanage. When I was three, I got adopted by the Kenmuras."  
  
"So." Snape said quietly. "Everything was my fault."  
  
Koori looked at him sharply. "It's not. There was nothing you could do. Mother didn't really believe that you would return in time. I can say that she was almost glad that you weren't there. Otherwise you would be lost too. I didn't suffer much for the past 16 years. The Kenmuras are sort of traditional, but they are open-minded when they found out about my magical ability. They treated me as their own. The only thing that bothers me is that I can constantly feel Voldemort, but can't tell where he is."  
  
"Surely you have blamed me for your loss."  
  
"I blamed you when I was younger. But then as I said, I realized that there was nothing for you to do at that time. Also I missed you terribly. There was no point staying angry. What happened to you anyway?"  
  
"You mean after I came back too late?" Snape said bitterly. Koori winced. "What I blamed myself most, is that I came back so late that I didn't even see one dementor on the scene, not even one corpse of those creature. The place was swarmed with Aurors. If I didn't show them the amnesty order from Dumbledore, I was sure that they would burn her body, not that her body could be burned. Then Headmaster offered me the job here, and here I remained. All these years, I thought you are probably alive and looked for you. I thought as long as you are in Britain, you would attend Hogwarts, and I would see you again."  
  
"For 16 years you stayed here and waited for me?"  
  
He shrugged. "I have a promise to keep."  
  
"But for keeping the promise, you wasted your brilliance on teaching dunderheads and endured the annoyance of James Potter's son." Koori arched an eyebrow.  
  
"Koori, please, I don't see the humour in the situation."  
  
"All I am trying to say is that you have paid your debt and have suffered long enough. I suggest you to abandon that futile burden of yours and move on. You know who I am. Keeping me safe is next too impossible. Mother is dead. She doesn't even have a soul left to see what is going on with us. You can release yourself."  
  
"She's not dead." Snape said calmly. But it caused Koori to turn around with wide eyes. "I kept her in St. Mungo's in these years and visit her when ever I can. I hope that her gift might make some miracle to happen. Would you like to see her sometime?"  
  
"Not anytime soon, I suppose." Koori brought a slender hand to her forehead and sighed. "With my quest weighing on my mind, I don't have the heart to see her yet."  
  
"As about your quest, Koori, is your friendship with Harry Potter part of your plan? If not, you should know that I do no approve such friendship."  
  
Koori snorted. "Professor I must remind you the favour I asked. Do not interfere with my actions, for I have reasons behind them, whether they concern my quest or not. Now as you have seven's year double potion tomorrow morning, I suggest that you get some rest, while I will return to my room now. Oyasuminasai." With that, she stood up, grabbed her broom and walked toward the edge of the roof, leaving Snape sitting there still stunned by the sudden change of attitude. However, just before she mounted her broom, she stopped and turned toward him.  
  
"Professor." She met his eyes with a grateful gaze and had a soft smile on her lips. "Arigato Gozaimasu." She bowed deeply and quickly mounted her broom. Soundlessly, she soared into the dark sky.  
  
A/N: Thanks for reading and please review!!! OK, this is supposed to be part of chapter 5, but I thought that would make chapter 5 too long. Also, I apologize for the inconsistency in the use of tone when the characters speak. For the first half of the chapter, Koori sounded very casual then toward the end she sounded very formal...Sorry, I've been watching too much Lord of the Rings recently, but it's a great movie. Legolas is so cute. I might write a fic about him. Sorry, what am I rambling on? Thanks again for reading and please please please review.  
  
Japanese words used in this chapter:  
  
Oyasuminasai: good night. (I think it's a very formal way of saying it.)  
  
Arigato Gozaimasu: Thank you very much. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
"Good afternoon, Hogwarts! Welcome to the first match of the annual Interhouse Quidditch Cup," Dennis Creevey's voice boomed through the noisy pit. "Slytherin vs. Gryffindor!"  
  
Players in green and red robes were circling the pit.  
  
"A little background about the two teams." Dennis continued. "Gryffindor team is the reigning champion, looking for its fourth consecutive title, while Slytherin is trying to regain the Quidditch Cup, which it has lost since 1991. Keep in mind, Slytherin was never able to defeat Gryffindor for the last six year, will this time be different?"  
  
Draco Malfoy threw Dennis an annoyed glances while he took his position above the other players in the centre circle, and then he turned around and stared dagger at Harry.  
  
"Players are in their positions! The Slytherin team is led by Captain Draco Malfoy, who holds the position of seeker. Gryffindor team is led by Harry Potter, who is also the seeker."  
  
Mixture of cheering and booing filled the Quidditch Pit. In this absolute deafening noise, Madam Hooch appeared with the box of balls. Energy emitted for her amber eyes immediately silenced all the noises. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the game to start. She casually kicked open the box, letting the two bludgers and the snitch soared into the sky. Then upon her whistle, she threw the quaffle upward into the circle of players.  
  
"Quaffle's released! The game starts!" Suddenly the silence spell was broken, the frozen space unfroze again. Noises of cheering and yelling once again filled the pit.  
  
The perfect circle in the centre suddenly broke into a chaos.  
  
Instead of scanning the ground immediately for the snitch, Harry kept an eye on Malfoy to prevent him from finding the snitch first and buying his team more time to score more goals. As much as he hated to admit, over the years, Malfoy did become one of the best flyers in the school and a decent seeker, although still not in his league.  
  
Ten minutes into the game, Gryffindor already scored two goals. Malfoy was getting anxious. Koori's strategy was exactly right; the only way for Slytherin to win is to catch the snitch really fast. Suddenly, he saw a golden glint on the far side of the pit. He raced for it.  
  
Harry saw it at the same time. Of course, Malfoy might have sharper eyes than Harry, but his flying skill was no match for Harry. Harry overtook him in just a second. Malcolm Baddock, the new Slytherin beater, saw the situation and directed a bludger toward Harry, hoping at least to drive the Gryffindor seeker off course. The bludger did the trick. Harry did go off course to dodge the blow and give the lead to Malfoy. However, because Malfoy was very close the Harry and lacked of Harry's reflex, the bludger hit him straight in the head.  
  
Everyone gasped as Malfoy fell off his broom like a leaf. Harry looked down at Malfoy's unconscious figure for a second, when he looked up again, the snitch was no where to be found.  
  
"Slytherin requests time out!" Dennis' voice is heard above the chaos.  
  
Players touched down. The Slytherins gathered in a tight circle. From their expression, they were worried. As Malfoy was carried away to the Hospital wing, Madame Hooch came to their circle.  
  
"Well?" She said rather impatiently.  
  
"Er, we do have a back-up seeker." Blaise Zabini, the keeper said.  
  
"Then what are you waiting for? Get your seeker and get on with the game." Without giving him the chance to say anymore, she already shot yellow spark to the sky, the signal of calling back-up.  
  
"Slytherin requests to call up back-up player. Players please get back to your position."  
  
Harry's brow knitted together. He was a little annoyed by the fact that he never knew that the Slytherin team had a back-up seeker.  
  
The gate opened. Harry's eyes widened when he saw the figure that flew out. It was Koori Kenmura on the broom, wearing the green robe.  
  
Koori stopped opposite to Harry. This is the first time that Harry had ever seen Koori in anything other than black. He also noticed that Koori's broom was not Nimbus 2001 like the rest of the team. He vaguely remembered seeing the model in a racing broom catalogue, but because it was a rather long and weird name, he couldn't recall anymore. It was an oriental product for sure.  
  
As always, Koori flashed him her smile. He smiled back and said: "You know, green doesn't suit you that well."  
  
Her brows shot up, then she laughed with right hand covering her mouth and the left hand brought to her right sleeve. Despite being laughing quite hard, she was perfectly balanced on the broom.  
  
Suddenly Madame Hooch blew her whistle. The game started again. Koori moved faster than lightening. The laughter still on her lips, but her hand already went back to the broom. She urged her broom into a full race so fast that she nearly knocked Harry off his broom.  
  
Harry always believed that he was the best flyer in the school. It might sound a bit cocky, but try as he might, he had not seen another talent that would match his. Flying was the only thing that he was hundred percent confident in. However, watching Koori fly, he was not sure anymore. Koori's figure reminded him of the eagle that was her familiar. Her broom was longer than most models. She bent so low on it that she was almost laying on her stomach. She was flying at a speed that very few people would be comfortable at and dodging bludgers with unbelievable reflex. Her long sleeves billowed behind her like wings. And her dark eyes scanned the sky with a sharpness that only belonged to bird of preys.  
  
It's strange that one person can be both an eagle and a snake. Harry thought. But then, he really didn't have time for musing. It was taking all of his strength to keep up with Koori.  
  
Five minutes into the game, both of them saw the snitch at the bottom of the pit and was going even lower. Most seekers would keep an eye on it and wait for it to come up a bit, for it was too dangerous to dive for it when it was so close to the bottom. But Koori did not even hesitate before she spiraled down toward the snitch with full speed. Harry followed, not that he was sure that he was able to catch the snitch in such situation, it was just that he believed that if the Slytherin seeker could do it, he could do it.  
  
When they were very close to the bottom, Harry noticed something very strange. Instead of diving in curve, they, or rather Koori was diving straight down with a bone crashing speed that she showed no intention of slowing down. What was stranger was that Koori's aim seemed to be off. She was aiming for a spot about three feet left to the snitch. Harry's heart rose to his throat. If they didn't pull up soon, they would crash straight into the ground.  
  
What does the girl have in mind?!  
  
Soon Harry got his answer. About five feet or so above the snitch, Koori suddenly pulled her broom up so sharp that it was almost a 180 degree turn. Strong inertia has swung her out. She held on tightly to her broom by her left hand and foot, while the rest of her body stretched out like a flying squirrel and formed a sharp arch 45 degree to the ground. At the bottom of the arch, her hand was less that an inch from touching the ground, but in the ascending arch, her long, slender fingers grasped the snitch and closed tightly around it.  
  
Harry gasped at the stunt show, then he realized that he had no time to pull up. While Koori spiraled straight up with the snitch clutched in her hand, he crashed head first into the ground.  
  
He did not hear the cheering and gasp afterward. He was overwhelmed by the pain. His head felt like it had been split open. Then he realized that he probably did crack his skull. Painfully he rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. To his surprise, his vision was tainted red. He must have injured his eyes, that there was blood on his eyeball. Panic started to rise in his chest. What if he were going to be blind? He closed his eyes again.  
  
He could feel people rushing to him, touching him and asking if he were all right. But he did not speak, or open his eyes, or even respond until a cool hand rested on his forehead and his scar started to hurt. It wasn't a threatening burn as it did every time when Voldemort were up to something. It was just an annoying, tiny discomfort, like a paper cut. Later when he thought about it, he found it strange that he could sense such a small discomfort when he was suffering a cracked skull.  
  
Anyhow, he sensed it and opened his eyes. He saw two bottomless black pools, which were Koori's eyes.  
  
Strange, he could still make them out to be pitch black when the rest of the world is tainted in red. He mused before the world turned completely black.  
A/N: Finally, the Quidditch Scene! I must say that it is very hard to write, because personally I don't like that sport that much. And there are a lot of descriptions. (Giving myself a pat on the shoulder.)  
  
A huge thank you to PhoenixRae! Your support means a lot me and this fic!  
  
And thanks to my other readers. Please please please review? Please? Just a word or two would send me gloating all day!! ^_^ 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

            Draco Malfoy slowly opened his eyes and blinked several times before everything came into focus again. It was dark, and therefore there wasn't much to look at. From the little bit of outline on the ceiling above him, he made out that he was in the hospital wing.

            "I see that you finally have the decency to wake up and entertain your visitor." A smooth and silk voice came from his bed side. 

            His neck was a little stiff. He groaned softly as turn to look. 

            "Kenmura! What are you doing here?"

            She let out a small chuckle. "Why, am I not allowed to visit my wounded house mate? Also, I thought that I should report to my captain about our match. We won, by the way." 

            "We did?" Draco's eyes widened. "How?"

            "How? I thought that as the captain of the Slytherin house team, you would know the rule of the game! I caught the snitch before Harry did, of course."

            "You beat Potter?" In his excitement, Draco made an attempt to sit but was pushed back by Koori. With a smug look still on his face, he said: "He must be off in Gryffindor tower sulking now."

            "No. He's on that bed over there." Koori leaned back in her chair and pointed a certain direction with her chin. 

            Draco followed the direction and made out the line of another person on the bed that was two beds away from him. "What happened to him?"

            "He couldn't pull out of the dive I went in when I got the snitch, went straight into the ground." She answered lazily. "He'll be out of it for a few days. A slight concussion, or so I've heard. But, I suppose that is none of your concern. Here, I brought you this." Koori turned to the bedside table and gestured at a deep bowl. "I thought you were about to wake up and would be hungry, so I brought some noodle for you. They also heal your wound quicker."

            Draco was speechless for a second. Koori took the advantage of it and helped him to sit up and had him leaned comfortably on his pillow. 

            "Wait, wait, what's this for?" Draco stopped a fish cake that was brought before his mouth by Koori and stared rather suspiciously into the girl's eyes. 

            He wished that he didn't. In the dim candle light, Koori's dark eyes seemed like black, bottomless whirlpool. Draco felt drawn to them, drowning in them, yet he could not tear his eyes from hers. 

            Her voice suddenly gained a hypnotizing softness to it. "We need you back, Draco, the sooner, the better. We are Slytherins."

            He had no choice but to open his mouth. She slipped the piece of fish cake into it. Suddenly, he became very hungry. He took the bowl and chopsticks from her with whatever strength he had and ate everything.

            A triumphant smile appeared on her lips for a second as she watched him ate the noodles like a tornado sweeping across prairies. 

            "Your father was here this afternoon, you know?" She said carelessly when he finished, suppressing a yawn.

            "Really?" Draco sounded surprised. Koori saw a glint of hope flashed in his eyes. Hmm, interesting.

            "Yes. Why are you surprised?"

            "Because I thought he doesn't care about me." His normally cool voice was full of bitterness. Good, she thought, the potion is working.

            "What does he care about then?" She continued to ask in the drowsy tone.

            "Ha." Draco let out a bitter chuckle. "Honestly, I don't know. You can say fame, power, but if it was just that, he should be the Minister of Magic. Ideal? He can abandon his ideal anytime if the tide is not right. I don't know. I don't think he knows either."

            "I am sure that there is something that is keeping him busy now."

            "Of course. Voldemort is his first priority now. I guess being a death eater is like getting on a pirates' ship. Once you got on, you can never get off."

            The corner of Koori's lips curled up ever so slightly when she heard the name of the dark lord. She was on the right track. "I suppose Voldemort keep in touch with your father?"

            "Yeah." Draco leaned back into his pillow. He started to sound tired.

            "How?"

            "Coded letters. You can't believe this. He actually uses muggle post-service for this. He mail his letter to some mail box in some muggle place, and father pick up there. No one in the whole magic world would think that Voldemort uses muggle post to reach his follower. Bloody brilliant."

            True, she would never thought of it. "Do you know where he is?"

            "Nope." Draco answered with his eyes closed. "I doubt that father knows either. He wouldn't tell me if he knows. I don't want to know anyway. Bloody hell, Kenmura, your noodle is good." 

            "Glad you like it. You look exhausted, why don't you go back to sleep. I'll leave now." She picked up the noodle bowl and stood up. Everything she needed to ask had been asked. In less than ten minutes, Draco would fall asleep and forget their conversation completely. She'd better leave before Madam Pomfrey wake up. 

            "Hey, Koori." Draco called in a drowsy voice. Koori turned to look at him. Under the dim candle light, his face did not seem pointy anymore. The sleepy look returned some of the youthful roundness to it. With his eyes half closed, he mumbled: "Can you tuck me in?"

            "I beg you pardon?!" Koori, on the other hand, nearly dropped the bowl. She quickly ran through the list of ingredient she used in the potion. There was nothing to make Draco lose his mind.

            "Please, just once. I won't tell anyone. Just pretend…"

            It was dangerous, she knew it, but there was something in Draco's eyes and voice that made her couldn't resist. She looked at her watch. She still had some time, maybe she could afford a little off topic small talk. So she went back, helped him lie down on his back and pulled the cover up to his chin, then she sat back down at the chair.

            "Do you know, Draco, about the children of death eaters? They are called born death eaters. They bear his mark in their blood, so they have no visible mark until they are initiated."

            "Mm-hmm. I know that."

            "And do you know who started with the idea? Not Voldemort, but your father. He didn't mean to have it happen to all the death eater's children either. It was meant to be only you."

            "Cheery thought."

            "No, Draco. Think about it. He was planning out a future for you. He joined the death eaters at the time because he thought it was his best option for him. And he put you in because he thought that would secure you a stable ranking in Voldemort's new generation of followers. He always thought that Voldemort would overthrow the ministry And do you know the panic he was in when he knew Voldemort was defeated? Your name and your mother's name was the only thing that he could say. I had met your father many times. He doesn't care about fame and power, and the hell with ideals. All he cares about is his family, if Malfoy family in general if you please, but he would do anything to protect you and your mother."

            "He could've shown it…" Draco was half sleep by then.

            "He doesn't want to pamper you. But the thing I want you to know is that you don't have to follow the future that he had designed for you. You are your own man. You don't have to follow the path that he had chosen for you. But remember, he does love you."

            The last thing Draco did before falling asleep was a slight nod. Until his breath became slow and regular, he still had that smile on his face.

            "Sadly, you won't remember a thing I've said." Koori stood up, ready to leave. Then she changed her mind. Maybe it is a good idea to let him have the memory of being tucked in. It would do him good. She thought as she gently put a hand on his forehead and muttered a spell.

            And about muggle post service. This was harder that she had thought, but not undoable. At least her quest is moving forward. Tomorrow, she would start tracking Lucius Malfoy.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

            "Professor Snape, I've told you before it's useless." Koori stopped in her track and said, barely loud enough for her stalker to hear.

            "Show-off." Snape came out of the shadow. "How long did it take you this time?" 

            "From the beginning, that's when I left the Hospital wing." Her lips cured slightly, and a mischievous twinkle was in her eyes.

            Snape scowled. "I would be proud if you picked that up from me. But come with me, I have something for you." With that, he walked toward the dungeon without even to check if she had followed him.

            Koori raised an eyebrow in amusement, and then she followed Snape toward the dungeon.

            "So what was it between you and Malfoy." Snape said once he closed the door of his personal quarter behind him. "_Ardeo__." Logs in the fireplace ignited at his command._

            "Just a bit of necessary questioning. This is your sitting room? Nice." Koori ran a hand on the back of the green velvet couch, then settled deeply the huge, silver and green embroidered armchair by the fireplace. "I hope this is not your own furniture, though." She said as she patted the armchair gently.

            "You know my taste is better than that." He sat down on the couch and rested his cheek on his hand. "What did you give him? It seems like some kind of truth potion, but I can bet ten Galleons on it that it is an oriental recipe. Our truth potions don't work that way."

            "Too bad I don't get your Galleons, I really can use some. But you are right, of course. A great potion master that you are, as I said before. It was the Makoto potion, which is…"

            "I know what Makoto Potion is." Snape said with a scowl and Accioed over the bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky and glass on an end table on the other end of the couch. "Makoto means truth in Japanese, correct? People who drank Makoto Potion will blab out the truth without realizing it. But you have to sort of lure out the answer. Is that correct?" 

            "Correct, correct." Koori said with an embarrassed grin. "I am sorry to underestimate you. I am used to being the only one that is familiar with potion in my social circle. You have to forgive me for developing the habit of explaining every potion I've mentioned in conversation."

            Snape muttered something like "students are the same everywhere" under his breath before taking a sip of his whisky.

            "Anyway." Koori continued. "Makoto Potion is the main thing. Then I laced the soup with Dreamless Sleep Potion. Also, I put Hunger Potion in that fishcake."

            "No Obliviation Potion?"

            "No, I obliviated him myself. It took me months to get all the ingredients together. I had to owl order them one by one. I can do the spell easily in sleep, so why bother. Come to think of it, I now regret to even waste my time and money on Dreamless Sleep Potion. Simple Sleeping Draught could be fine. I should let that poor lad to have a nice dream."

            "Poor lad? Nice dream?" Snape raised an eyebrow. "I am under the impression that you had absolutely no friendly and/or romantic feeling toward Malfoy. Has that changed?"

            "You can't be serious!" Koori sat up in her armchair. "I want to snap his neck as long as he is being that insufferable arrogant chibi-ahou." Snape snorted. "And never mind that I was once betrothed to him by Voldemort! It's not valid anymore, right?" Snape shook his head. "Good, thank Kami." Koori let out a sigh of relief. "But I saw something different tonight, so I just thought that he is still 'savable'." 

            "Is that part of your quest?"

            Instead of answering, Koori looked into the fire for a few second, then she turned back to look at him. "You said that you have something for me. I hope it's not interrogation."

            Sighing, Snape put down the whisky glass, walked over to the mantelpiece and picked up a wooden box. "Open it yourself." He said while handing it over to Koori.

            Giving him a questioning look, she opened it and let out a soft gasp. "The tear of Leida."

            What was inside the box was a silver necklace with a strange pendant. At the first glance, people would took it as diamond, but with a closer inspection, one would notice that the clear gem was not as nearly as flashy as diamond. In fact, it looked just like ice. From a certain angle, the gem seemed to have a slight blue hue. However, the most extraordinary thing about it was melancholy aura it was emitting.

            "Is that what it is called?" Snape said with a hint of embarrassment. Koori suspected that his embarrassment was not due to his lack of knowledge.

            "She hadn't told you before?" She asked.

            "No. She showed this on the night you were born. Then, I just kept it for you after…" he trailed off.

            But of course she understood what he meant. After my mother's soul had been sucked out. She finished for him mentally.

            "Well, thank you. It's not something cheerful to keep for so long." She fought her urge to touch the gem and closed the box.

            "I suppose not." Snape said absentmindedly. "But I suppose it is because the aura it is constantly emitting, I sometimes feel like that she is still with me."

            Koori narrowed her eyes at him and stared at him for a few second. Then she spoke carefully. "You really did love her, didn't you? And you still do, right?"

            "It's very hard not to." His voice was steady, but had lost its usual silkiness. "Why don't you go back to your dormitory and go to sleep?"

            Koori nodded. Clutching the box tightly with both hands, she walked toward the door.

            "By the way," Snape said as he opened the door for her. "You mention before that you can use some money."

            Koori looked started for a second, and then she dismissed it with a wave of her slender hand. "Just some petty girl clothing that I saw on the Gladrags Wizardwear catalog. But I've spent all my money on potion ingredient and I don't see any chance of getting more money from my parents. Woe of a teen!" She yawned. "But nothing that you should concern yourself with."

            "If you need anything…significant, come to me."

            "What if I need someone to talk to?" She raised her eyebrow, obviously challenging him.

            However, to her surprise, he answered earnestly. "Just come. You know the password to my quarter."

A/N: I know there is not much happening in this chapter. Indeed, this fic is going much slower than I thought. Consider this is a description of relationship and background between characters.

And Japanese and Latin words used in the chapter:

Ardeo: Latin for ignite. (I think so….)

Makoto: as Snape said, it means truth

Chibi-ahou: little idiot. But it is a somewhat cute way of saying it.

As about the "Leida" thing, I won't explain about it now. It'll come up in later chapter. Please please please review! (I haven't got one since chapter 6, sniffle…)


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

            "Harry, you are NOT ACCELLERATING!" Koori shouted in frustration. "You won't fell of the broom, because I've put a binding charm on you, remember? Now try that again. Don't ever slow down. You are gaining speed throughout the whole process; otherwise your opponent might collide into you."

            Harry nodded and flew toward the opposite side of the pitch again.

            After a week in the hospital wing, Harry finally recovered and became more determined than ever to improve his flying skill. Koori, on the other hand, captured the opportunity of having more contact with Harry Potter, agreed without hesitation to coach him. After all, no one in her house dared to stop her from doing anything she wanted. It was Hermione Granger who tried to talk Harry out of it, and having failed that, decided to accompany Harry to every lesson. Now the Gryffindor witch was sitting on the bleacher, wand drawn and ready to hex Koori back to Haikaddo if she ever tried to harm Harry in anyway, whether intended or not.

            Koori grinned to herself when she saw the glare that Hermione was shooting at her. Gryffindors, they really know no subtlety. Returning Hermione's killer glare with her most innocent and sweet smile, Koori bent down to her broomstick and flew to meet Harry on the other side.

            "To make sure that you accelerate, I'll chase you this time." Koori said while she pulled to a stop behind Harry.

            Harry looked a little worried.

            "I told you, you won't fall off. And I won't knock into you either. Where did your Gryffindor courage go?" 

            She had apparently discovered one thing that would make Harry do anything. Harry threw her a dirty look over his shoulder and thrust forward with lightening speed. Rather taken aback at his sudden change of mind, Koori blinked several times before realizing that she should be chasing. Must've looked stupid, she thought as she bent low on her own broom to catch up.

            Koori had to admit, if it was not for her broom, she might not be able to catch up in such a short distance. But of course, her broom, the Hitenken Showa V, was a classic racing model.  It probably was the fastest model, but a rather unpopular one due to its lack of safety feature, which was why it took her forever to find one that was in acceptable condition.

            Harry did listen to her this time and accelerated through the whole process, executed the sharp vertical loop with perfection and finally spiraled straight toward the ground.

            That was a bit too fast, thought Koori critically, but otherwise, the move was perfect. He does have a real talent.

            When she touched down to meet him, Harry was still glaring at her, obviously still angry about her comment about his courage.

            "Harry, that was…."

            "I thought you don't care about house rivalry." Harry cut her off.

            Koori blinked again, then she doubled up with laughter. "Harry! Can't you see? That was exactly what I needed to say to make you to perfect that move. That move," her hand quickly traced the move again in the air, "was great!

            Harry knew that he should stay angry longer, but somehow the sight of Koori laughing was so beautiful that he couldn't care about his injured pride anymore. She looked so happy, and it was the first time that Harry had seen her look real happy, not just the well-practiced, plastered smile.

            "Well," He said with an effort to sound angry but failing miserably, "You don't have to be so cunning…so Slytherin."

            "But I am a Slytherin!" Koori wiped tear of laughter from her eyes. "Didn't I tell you before? I am a Slytherin from head to toe, so expect me to follow my Slytherin instinct."

            Harry rolled his eyes and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Your Slytherin instinct will be the death of me someday. Shall we go on?"

            Koori was about to mount her broom again when she spotted a black dot at the horizon and moving fast toward them. 

            "Wait, I think Ryu-chan is back."

            "Ryu-chan?"

            "My eagle."

            Indeed, within a few minutes, the golden eagle was perched on Koori's extended arm. However, to Harry's surprise, the eagle did not have a letter for Koori on its leg, instead, it croaked and screeched at Koori, while she listened with utmost attention. Finally she gave the eagle a gentle pat on the head and turned to Harry.

            "I'm sorry, I must go write a few letters now." She looked really sorry. "But if you still want to practice, Ryu can practice with you." As if on cue, the eagle screeched at Harry. "You can try and catch Ryu. And I am sure that Ryu will be a very good boy."

            Lucius Malfoy had no problem blending in on the street of Montreal, especially when it was five o'clock in the afternoon. It was chilling cold. The sun was half set. Cars were packed bumper to bumper while everyone was trying to get through the rush hour traffic. No one was paying attention to him as he walked on the empty sidewalk, wrapped in his Armani coat and wool scarf, with his hand dug deep inside his coat pocket. Even if someone looked at him, they would just think that he was some kind of rich artist or actor strolling down the street.

            He checked his watch again as he turned into a quieter neighborhood. It was relatively new and compact, the kind that twenty or so houses shared one common mailbox. As he turned another corner, he spotted the brown metal box. A rather large seagull was perched on it and flew off to a nearby fence once it saw him approaching. 

            Lucius Malfoy stood by the mail box eyeing the seagull, then the darkening sky. He let out a desperate sigh and watched his breath floating higher and higher and finally disappearing into thin air. He had no idea if he was doing the right thing. If only he'd know that there was no way back for a Death Eater 23 years ago…. And Draco was drifting away from him day by day…

            A screech from the seagull interrupted his thought. He saw the post truck stopped at the stop sign at the corner he had just turned. He dug the letter from his pocket and dropped it into the mail box. 

            The truck stopped by the mail box just as he started to turn away. Instead of the normal middle-aged postman, a girl no older than 20 years old, with her short hair dyed blue, jumped off the truck.

            Lucius Malfoy stopped in his track and turned to look at the girl. The girl looked vaguely similar to him. The girl, sensing his stare, turned to look at him as well with a pair of large eyes that were clearly wearing purple contacts. Chewing gum innocently, she said: "_Bon jour, monsieur_."

            "_Bon jour, mademoiselle.__ Er… Où est Jean?"_

            "_Jean?_" The girl looked confused for a moment, then she slapped her forehead. "_Oh, Jean!__ Oui. Il est malade."_

            He looked at her suspiciously for a second or so. He even had the feeling that he was talking to a death eater. But that would be ridiculous. The girl was speaking with perfect Quebec accent. And since this was the flu season, Jean could very well have been sick. "_Malade__?__ C'est trés mauvais. Mais merci, mademoiselle.  Au revoir."_

            "_Au revoir._" The girl said absentmindedly while popped a bubble. She had started to load letters from the mail box into her truck. The seagull had flown away after the first couple of letters. 

            Lucius Malfoy gave the girl one last glance as he turned the corner and headed back to his apparating point. The thought of Narcissa waiting for him in the library, with a brandy in hand made him smile.

            The seagull landed on the mail box and screeched at the girl. 

            "Is he gone, Ryu-chan?"

            Another screech.

            "Great. I hate contact lenses." Koori started the rather painful procedure of taking off the purple contacts. It certainly looked like that she might claw her own eyeballs out.

            "Now let's see." Blinking her eyes hard, she picked up a letter from her truck. "When I picked up this one, you flew away. Is this Malfoy's letter?" 

            An impatient screech.

            "Just making sure." Koori held out her arm to the bird. "Come inside, let's read the letter and take that _bakabakashii_ transformation off you."

            _"Master:_

_            Old allies are contacted. The operation can be carried out as planned._

_            My son might prove to be useful. Please spare him._

_                                                                                                                        LM."_

            "Kami, Voldemort would give him Cruciatus for that." Koori said after reading the letter in the truck. She ran a hand along the seagull from beak to tail. White feather became brown as hand moved; when she lifted her hand, the seagull turned into a golden eagle. "Bless all the loving fathers of the world. I would pity him, you know, if he weren't such a bastard to my mother. Oh, and did I forget, a cruel, racist, snobby hypocrite." She said the last bit with a mocking tone and resealed the letter. "Forget about him, shall we, Ryu-chan? Let's get Jean back to work. The poor fellow had been stunned long enough. Then we'll go back to Hogwarts and sleep." She gave Ryu a smile.

            Ryu screeched and flapped it's wings.

            She laughed. "You are right. I must not blame poor old Lucius like that. I'm just as bad, ne? A pure _nekokaburi_."

A/N: From now on I will pick up the pace of this fic. 

Well, after watching the COS movie, I just can't write Lucius as completely evil anymore, because….(sweatdrop)He's just too good looking! I know it is very shallow of me…but…he's still handsome. And Jason Issac is one of my favourite actor…so….

            And I have to apologize for my French and my description of Montreal (or the lack of it). I took basic French in my first year of high school and had given everything back to my teacher by now. I've been to Montreal once and only stayed for one day. I picked it to be the location only because the time different is roughly right, and that Montreal is a big city. As about the Quebec accent thing, I heard that Quebec French sound somewhat different from the French that is spoken in France now. I am not even sure if it is just accent or dialect. 

French translations:

Bon jour: good day

Monsieur: sir

Mademoiselle: miss 

Où est Jean?: Where is Jean:

Oui: yes

Il est malade: he is sick

C'est trés mauvais: it's too bad.

Mais: but 

Merci: thank you

Au revoir: good bye

Japanese words used:

-chan: dear

bakabakashii: stupid, absurd

nekokaburi: wolf in sheep's skin, feigned innocence

Thanks for reading! Please review! Anything is welcome and grateful.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

            The operation. 

            Koori was seriously concerned. She even started to believe that the few sentences she read were just some kind of code. After all, Draco did tell her that they communicate by coded letter. But then, she detected no code on that letter, whether magical or not. The letter was written in such a plain, straight to the point way that it confused her. The only explanation she could come up with was that the operation mentioned in the letter was so well prepared, that there was no way to stop it. Her blood ran cold when she thought about the possibilities. Whatever Voldemort was planning, it must have been planning for a while yet she felt nothing. 

            She shifted her gaze from the clouds above to the forests below. The roof of Hufflepuff tower offered an unobstructed view of the forbidden forest, which is full of activities now. Most creatures in the forest were nocturnal, even the trees were more awake in the night. She listened carefully to the wind again, but the wind was unusually calm. 

            She was very frustrated. Not only that she did know where Voldemort was or what he was planning, she did not know anything about Voldemort at the moment at all. The fact that Voldemort was not including her in his plan was making her nervous. She never had much initiative in her quest, but now she had lost more than ever. 

            She paced a few steps on the roof and tried to analyze the letter word by word. "_Old allies are contacted. The operation can be carried out as planned._" So the operation was to be carried out, or at least to helped by the Dark Lord's allies, not Death Eaters, which in a way, made sense why she was not included.  But then again, she was not just a common Death Eater, she was Voldemort's absolute last chance. She froze with one of her feet in mid-air and nearly very uncharacteristically lost her balance. Voldemort moved her to Britain because he was desperate at the time. Given his way, he'd rather wait until Koori graduate and not to place her under Dumbledore's watch. But now he was planning an operation without even letting her knowing it. He must've got stronger in the last few months, that he was coming back without her help. This was bad news for her indeed, because her quest depended upon the fact that Voldemort's come back and revenge depend on the ritual with her. She must find a way to drive Voldemort into that desperation again. She racked her brain to come up with the allies that might still help Voldemort but none came up. 

            And the nature had no information for her. She has asked everything that she could communicate to, wind, trees, water…everything, but none gave her the answer she needed. 

            She slumped back down on the roof rather inelegantly and crossed her legs. Lucius Malfoy had mentioned Draco in the letter. Spare him… She was not exactly sure whether that had anything to do with the operation. But one thing that was certain was that Draco was not exactly turning out the way which his father and Voldemort wanted. This, of course, was very dangerous for the entire Malfoy family. She suddenly felt pity for them. 

            Her musing was cut short by the arrival of Ryu, who carried a parcel and a letter with him. 

            She pecked the eagle between the eyes and started to untie the burden. "Is _Otou-sama_ and _Okaa-sama_ well?" She asked while opening the letter, and immediately recognized the bold, beautiful handwriting has her foster-father's.

            _"Ojou-san:_

_            Thank you for the book you bought for me. According to the book, the British news media is certainly interesting. Of course I had a happy birthday, after all, your mother is a wonderful cook, but we did miss your presence. _

_            Although I told her that you have hats and scarves included in your uniform, she insisted on knitting them for you. So here enclosed is one of them. I do hope that you would find the occasions to wear them. _

_            Your mother and I enjoyed the pictures you took very much. Although I have no doubt about your flying skill, I must remind you again to be extra carefully when you are playing Quidditch. The way you fly is simply too dangerous. _

_            Also, I noticed that your handwriting had taken a turn for the worse. I understand that you are in your final year and must've been very busy with your study, but your calligraphy had never been good, so do not neglect it._

_            Hope you'll have a wonderful term in Hogwarts. Your mother and I look for your return for Christmas._

_                                                                                                            Otou-san"_

            She chuckled. Her father had to so formal with her, but she knew that she was the apple of his eye. Fortunately for her, her mother was not all that hesitant to express her affection, as it showed in the note below her father's writing.

            "_Koori-chan:_

_            I don't care if you are used to the cold of Haikaddo or not, but __Britain__ winter is different. MAKE SURE that you dress warmly._

_            Can you come back a little earlier? I want you to celebrate your birthday at home._

_                                                                                                            Love_

_                                                                                                            Kaa-san"_

            She sighed. She'd wish that she could go home for birthday, but it was simply not possible. And with the quest and N.E.W.T taking her time together, she simply didn't have time to take out the brushes and ink to practice calligraphy. But she would try anyway. She always tried to accomplish all of her foster-parents wishes. She always tried to do everything that would make them happy.

            Now she had to go back to her room. She had to answer the letter.

            When Koori walked into the luxurious Slytherin common, to her surprise, the room was full of people. It was already past curfew, but everyone seemed to be there. There was a strong aroma of alcohol in the room. Nearly everyone in fourth year and above had a glass of Ogden's Old Firewhisky in hand. Her entrance had clearly drawn attention from the crowd. Everyone turned to look at her. She arched an eyebrow.

            Draco, slightly drunk and embarrassed, came out and answered her unasked question. "My birthday. Thought it would be nice to throw a little party…"

            "Oh." Koori answered coolly as ever. "Well, carry on." She nodded at Draco and started to move toward the door that led to her dormitory.

            Without the effect of alcohol, no one would dare to say a word. But some of the Slytherins had drunk enough that they forgot about the power of Koori. Pansy Parkinson leaned against Draco and said loudly: "What, Kenmura, are you so Gryffindor now that you won't even have a toast at Draco's birthday party?"

            Koori stopped in her track and turned around very slowly. She eyed Parkinson so intensely that the later eventually cringed in fear. People who were awake enough half expected her to take out her wand and hex Parkinson. But she did nothing of the sort, instead, and to everyone's surprise, she picked up an empty glass and an opened bottle of Firewhisky. With such deliberation and precision, she poured herself exactly half a glass. Then she turned to face Draco and raised her glass. 

            "To _your_ future, _Draco__." She said sincerely and tossed down the drink with one gulp. Then she marched back to her dormitory, leaving Draco stunned and speechless._

            As soon as Koori stepped into her room, she found out the answer that she was trying so figure out just now.

            A raven stood on the back of her chair a letter tied to its leg. Ryu immediately tried to attack and get his favourite resting place back, and if it weren't for Koori, the raven would never fly out of the window.

            Anyhow, it did when Koori had untied the parchment and started reading it. But Koori was not aware of it, because her attention was glued to the fierce handwriting on the parchment. There was only one line on it.

            _"Take down the apparition barrier tomorrow at __7:00 pm_ sharp."__

_            There was no signature or name of any kind on the letter, but Koori knew the handwriting. It could be from only one person. Voldemort._

            The parchment slipped out of her hand and hit the floor. Kami, so that's what the operation is. He is planning an attack on Hogwarts! Koori sat down on her bed and started to think rapidly. 

            Tomorrow is Halloween, she suddenly realized. Everyone would be at the feast at seven. If she took down the barrier, Hogwarts would be virtually defenseless. But if she did nothing, no one would know who is still in the Dark Lord's league. She won't let the chance of crushing the last bit of Voldemort's army pass. However, no matter how she wished the use the this chance for her advantage, she simply could not allow harm come to Hogwarts and all the innocent little children. 

            Just as she was about to give up this opportunity, an idea hit her. She slapped her forehead for being so thick before. She would comprise. She would lower the barrier, so only part of whoever tries to apparate into Hogwarts could come in. She smiled to herself. Hogwarts would be safe, and the rest of the scenario might even be fun. 

            Satisfied with herself, she pulled out a bamboo brush, rice paper, sumi and inkstone to answer the letter to her foster parents.

            When Koori had finished the letter with utmost care, she realized that she could no longer hear the noise from the common room. She assumed that the party was finally over and all of her housemates had gone to sleep. She thought it would be safe for her to go to the kitchen for a cup of tea. However, when she went into the common room, she immediately remembered what her mother used to say to her. "Don't assume. It makes an ass out of you and me."

            The common might be deserted, but it was no way safe for her to venture beyond it, because Draco Malfoy was sitting in a large armchair alone, with a glass of Firewhisky in hand.

            Koori immediately got herself ready for any biting remark, but surprisingly, none came. Draco merely raised the last bottle of Ogden's Old Firewhisky at her and said rather pleasantly: "Night cap?"

            Koori raised an eyebrow, then decided it would do no harm. After all, alcohol would be more helpful when she goes to sleep than tea.

            "The pleasure's all mine." She said as she sat down opposite to him.

            "I meant to talk to you for quite a few days now." Draco said as he poured her a glass of Firewhisky. "I think that you talked to me when I was in the hospital wing." He looked at her for confirmation, which he received by a slight nod from her, he went on. "I am not exactly sure whether I was dreaming or not, but I thought you said something about being my own man."

            Koori took a sip of Firewhisky to buy herself and sought for a suitable answer. The boy shouldn't remember that. 

            "I probably did, I was rather chatty that night." She said.

            "Hmm, doesn't matter. But I've been thinking about it for a few days." He paused for a few seconds. "You are muggle-born, Koori?"

            "I could be."

            "Well, I'm not. I am the heir of a pure-blood line that values our pure-blood lineage. You can say that we're on opposite end."

            How wrong you are, little dragon, how wrong you are. Koori thought as she took another sip, but said nothing.

            "I am the only child." Draco went on. "So there are certain behaviours that are expected of me. All my lives I've been following my father's expectations, even when his expectations don't follow my heart. But then, I thought it's enough. I am a Malfoy, but I should be my own man. I will no longer take the handed down values from father anymore. I will rebel. I will not follow the future he had designed for me."

            "I hope this is what you truly believe, Draco." Koori said wearly. "I hope you are rebelling just for the sake of it."

            "No. I want _my own future._"

            Koori studied him carefully. His face set, his grey eyes showed determination. He looked unbelievably naïve now.

            After a long silence, Koori finally spoke again. "Why are you telling this?"

            Taking a sip and not meeting her gaze, Draco said: "Because you are the only one who might care. You are the only one who might help."

A/N:

Special thanks to Aidenfire, Tewks, Emy and Darkslytherinangel for the wonderful reviews. You guys gave me the confidence to go on with Fallen Instinct. 

Aidenfire: I am from China, but I am very interested in Japanese culture due to the large amount of manga I've read. Thank you for your suggestion, I will make Koori less almighty in the coming up chapters.

Emy: Thank you for your offer. I doubt if  French will show up again in this story, but it might in other stories that I'll write. Actually, I'll go to Montreal again tomorrow morning.

Tewks: Glad you like it. ^_^

Darkslytherinangel: Thank you for your complement. Actually I am kind of glad that you asked who Koori's father is, because it will be a question that comes up in later chapters and a mystery that get solved in the end. Hehe. So please keep reading! 

Thanks to all my readers. Please Review!

Japanese used in this chapter:

Otou-sama: father. The most formal way of saying it.

Otou-san: father, not as formal, but still not the familiar way

Okaa-sama: Mother. The most formal.

Okaa-san: mother. (you guessed) less formal way.

Kaa-san: familiar way of Mother

Ojou-san: formal way of Daughter.

Sumi: Japanese ink. Or a concentrated ink block. To use it, you have dissolve it in water.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

            "So what happened next?" Snape said while sipping his coffee.

            Koori stretched out lazily on Snape's canopy bed. Half bottle of Sober-up potion was still on the night table. It was 7:00 pm on Halloween night, but Koori never take alcohol well, so her hangover still hasn't completely passed. And to her dismay, Sober-up potion tasted exactly like alcohol.

            "Then?" she said, "Draco and I kept on talking about one thing then another until we finished up the entire bottle and both of us royally drunk. I think it was about 5 am or something."

            Snape snorted.

            "Hey!" Koori sat up, annoyed. "It was a difficult situation to get out. Once the bottle dried up, neither of us knew what to do." With a pause, she added deliberately. "I almost thought that the only logical solution was to go to his Head-boy bedroom and sleep with him."

            Snape promptly choked on his coffee.

            Koori smirked and went on as if nothing happened. "But of course I didn't. And he was a gentleman at least for once. He escorted me to girl's dormitory and said good night. You know the rest of the story. I went to class with only 2 hour of sleep and a terrible hangover. Lost Slytherin 10 points, fell asleep in your class and landed a detention with you. But you are so kind and brought me to your bedroom to sober up."

            This, of course, was not the whole story. Koori might be drunk, but not forgetful. The detention turned out to be her advantage. It provided a better, safer place to lower the apparition barrier, which she did so when Snape went to fetch her potion.

            Snape sighed. "Don't. Ever. Do. That. Again. Too much alcohol at one dose might kill you, you know that?"

            "_Hai__, shishou!" Koori answered so loudly and sweetly that made Snape's eyes narrowed with suspicion._

            But there were more pressing matters to be considered. 

            "Well, Draco Malfoy decided 'to be his own man'. That's certainly interesting. I suspect that Voldemort found out about my position. Lucius Malfoy did not contact me either. If Draco joined our side, that would be great news indeed."

            "We don't know about that yet. He's still trying out his options."

            "Let him, then. Now finish your potion to go back to your dormitory. And Go. To. Sleep. Don't let anyone see you when you go out. It might cause unnecessary trouble for me."

Following Snape's instruction might not be so hard if Koori wasn't drunk. But in this case, she was. The Sober-up potion has not take effect yet, therefore all her sense had been downgraded ten times.

She's known Hermione Granger was right out side of Snape's quarter door if she was in her usual alert state. Instead, she walked straight into Hermione, still straightening her robe. 

Koori looked back helplessly, but then remembered that Snape didn't see her to the door

"What are you doing here?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "Why aren't you in the feast?"

"Er…I should ask you the same." Koori tried to sound if nothing happened.

"Don't try to distract me. I'm on Head-girl duty, patrolling the corridor."

"Of course, of course!" Koori clapped Hermione on shoulder. "How can I forget? But I'm going to the Great hall now. Don't want to miss my first Halloween feast!" she started walking away, swearing silently that no matter what Hermione was going to say, she would not mutter a word.

"20 points from Slytherin." Hermione said loudly.

"What?" Koori whipped around. "Why?"

"For drinking. Do you think that I can't smell alcohol in your breath? And you were drinking with a teacher?"

Damn that girl! Koori was between a rock and hard place. Hermione did not smell alcohol; instead, she smelt the Sober-up potion which smelt like alcohol. Either way she had to admit that she had been drinking in school. She had already lost Slytherin 10 points, no way that she was going to lose another 20. The easiest way out was to obliviate the girl, but she's too close to Harry Potter. She'd try avoid harming her in anyway if she could. So she was to take her luck and see if the girl had any Slytherin sense.

"Look, Hermione, you are Harry's friend. So am I. Therefore we are friends too. Give me detentions, anything, just don't take points. My housemates are going to kill me."  She pleaded.

"Friend with a Slytherin snake like you? I don't think so. I'm just a mudblood to you. And your so-called friendship is just what I wish to talk to you about. What do you have in mind?"

Koori's face suddenly became closed and cold. "Whatever I have in mind with Harry is my business. I believe even Head-girls don't have the right to invade other student's private thought."

"But it's my responsibility to ensure other student's safety." Hermione said through gritted teeth.

"What, Granger, makes you think that I would harm Harry?"

"With such strong aura of a snake, you could harm anyone. Which brings me to another question. What are you doing in Professor Snape's quarter?"

Koori fought the urge to cast her a sympathetic look. She heard from Harry that Hermione had became irritably suspicious to everything since the death of Viktor Krum last year. She understood how Hermione must've felt, but the girl was really getting her nerves now. "That, is none of your business." Koori answered wearily.

"I know! I know!" Hermione suddenly yelled. "You seduced him, didn't you? You are trying to put him in danger as well! The headmaster must know." She roughly shoved Koori away and sprinted toward the stair which led to the ground floor.

However, when Hermione did reach the ground floor, Koori suddenly appeared in front of her, with her wand pointing at her chest.

"The Headmaster must not know, Granger. Don't make me hex you." 

Hermione gulped, then looked at Koori's eyes to check if she was serious, which was a mistake. Koori's dark eyes were mysteriously hypnotizing. She almost felt like being put under Imperius curse. She tried to fight it, but was failing miserably. 

A breeze from the window on the corridor, however, saved Hermione. Koori's eyes suddenly widened and lost their power. Her grip on her wand loosened. Her ears, as Hermione observed with surprise, moved slightly.

"Go get the Headmaster, Granger." Koori said with a trace of panic in her voice.

"What?" Hermione was confused. Only a moment ago the girl was about to hex if she dared to move a muscle.

"GO GET DUMBLEDORE!" Koori yelled. "OR SNAPE! McGONAGALL! ANYONE! NOW, YOU IDIOTIC GIRL! GO! GO! GO! NOW! NOW! BAKA! THE DRAGONS ARE COMING!"

Hermione ran.

Koori started to take the flights of stairs toward the Astronomy tower. Her right hand stretched toward the direction of her own room.

"_Accio__ Hitenken." She muttered as she ran at full speed. _

            Hermione collided into Snape right at the door of the Great Hall and landed painfully on her rear end.

            "Miss Granger." Snape somehow remained upright, but very displeased. "Kindly explain why you are running in the corridor."

            "I must go see the Headmaster, sir." Hermione got up and answered.

            "And for what? Headmaster doesn't have time for nonsense."

            "The dragons are coming, sir."

            Snape looked taken aback for a second, then he sneered down at her. "And where, pray tell, did you get that information, Ms. Granger?" 

            Hermione felt like a bucket of cold water had poured down her heated head. How can she be so stupid! She got the information from that Kenmura girl, who was trying so hard to get away from her. Kenmura could be lying to her, just get away. But she had no choice now. "Koori Kenmura told me, sir." She said quietly. "She sent me to get the Headmaster."

            Snape's face, however, suddenly became serious. "Where is she now?" he asked urgently.

            "I don't know. She was running upstairs when I left."

            Snape's face became paler than usual. "Follow me. The Headmaster must be notified now." He started to walk into the Great Hall, then, to Hermione's surprise, he turned back and said, "Five points to Gryffindor."

            Koori cursed herself again and again as she raced on the stone stairs that lead to the Astronomy tower. She was being so careless. When Voldemort ordered her to take down the apparition barrier, she just assumed that the attack would be carried out by humans, who can apparate. She forgot that some of Voldemort's allies were magical creatures! 

            When she reached the top of Astronomy tower, she almost suffocated. The air had become unnaturally still and chilly. The sky was already dark, but she could see an even deeper darkness was slowly closing in the sky above the castle from all directions. With the light from the last bit of natural night sky, she could make out the shape of a herd full-grown Norwegian Ridgeback dragons flying toward the castle from the east. 

            She took in a deep breath and took out her wand. To say that she was nervous was an understatement. The last time she dealt with dragons, she was eight months old and the dragon was not any older. She suddenly started sprinting toward the edge of the tower and jumped over it. One second later, she was 30 metres below and landed successfully on her broom, which she had summoned to join her. 

            The darkness had completely covered the sky. The air was so cold that even she was shivering all over. She was afraid to breathe because the air seemed to be extremely filthy to her. She felt danger and despair. 

            Balls of fire breathed out by the dragons lit up the sky for a second. She suddenly realized that dragons could not cover the sky with darkness and make the air filthy and cold. Very much like her, dragons preferred natural lights and pure air. There was no wind around for her to get information, but there was only explanation. Dementors were closing in. Thousands of them. 

            Another streak of fire lit up the sky and had nearly set her on fire. She was aware that the dragons were painfully near now. She pulled her broom straight up and then dived toward the dragons, throwing a streak of curses. As she expected, the curses simply bounced off the scaly hide of the dragons and earned herself another round of fire attack. She dodged every single ball of flame and with a sharp turn, she was heading straight toward the ground. She repeated all the curses again, but again, they take no effect on the dragons even if they did hit them. She just realized that her aim with wand was awful, especially when she was moving at high speed.

            Oh, excellent! She thought to herself bitterly as she made another sharp turn. Not only she was fighting dragons with wand and ordinary curses, she could hit them either. What would mother say?

            After a few round like that, she found that her situation more and more dangerous. She was more or less weaving in and out of the herd now. If she continued like this, she's bound to get hurt sooner or later. 

            The slip turned out to be sooner than later. As she dodged another fireball, she found herself face to face to one of the smaller dragons. She was fast enough to avoid being eaten whole or to be knocked off her broom, but her cheek had received a vicious cut. The dragon had also left a long, ugly gash on her left wrist, which unfortunately cost her to drop her wand.

            She was trapped in a herd of raging dragon without a wand. 

            She glanced helplessly downward and around. If it was possible, the sky seemed to get darker. She had now no other choice than rely on the instinct that she had hidden for years. She started to concentrate on the pure, raw power inside her.

A/N:  It certainly took a long time. 

            I hope that as Koori had started to show some more weakness, she's become more real now. You know, she has a mischievous side, she lost her cool, and god forbid, she dropped her wand in a most dangerous situation. 

            Aidenfire: Thank you sooooo much for reviewing again and please please please keep doing so. I'm glad that you like the drunk Draco better, because I like him better that way too! ^_^

            Sequ3stered: Thanks a lot for your suggestion. It was my intention to make her personality conflicting a bit, but obviously I've done too much. I am glad that you like the rest of it so far.

Japanese:

_Hai_: yes

_Shishou_: teacher. (or rather, it's the what apprentices call their masters)

_Baka_: idiot.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

            Dumbledore was shocked to hear the news. Never in his wildest dream he thought that Voldemort would be so bold to send a direct attack on Hogwarts. But Albus Dumbledore was not someone to easily loose control. He immediately ordered all students under year six to go back to their dormitories, year six and seven students guarding all entrances, teachers and a few selected students (Head-boy, Head-girl, prefects, etc.) to come outside of the castle. Only then, he found out that their opponent were not only dragons. No, dragons were much easier to fight and were already distracted. Their real troubles were dementors. 

            Contrary to common belief, dementors were destroyable. A large amount of positive energy was enough to destroy a dementor. This would of course need a lot of concentration and power, which all the teachers and selected students were capable. The only problem was the sheer number of dementors. And of course, the total darkness, with only occasional fire burst in the sky was not helpful either.

            Patronus immediately went off to all directions to ward off the dementors from the entrances. Then defense crew started to pick them off slowly.

            A sudden change of lighting in the sky attracted Dumbledore's attention. 

            The source of the calm, soft, silvery light was none other than Koori Kenmura.

            The girl was still sitting on her broomstick. Her hand was raised high, and a shield of ice had surrounded her to ward off dragon's fire. Her skin had become translucent, and was emitting a soft glow that had illuminated the dark sky.

            The dragons seemed to be held in awe. Their fire attack stopped and the seemed to calm down.

            Koori's raised hand moved. The ice shield shattered. With ice crystals trailing behind, her hand drew a complex pattern in the air. Following her command, dragons regrouped into traveling formation with the largest one in the lead.

            To everyone's astonishment, the leader bowed its head to Koori. Koori, in turn, inclined her own head slightly, and raised her hand. The dragon suddenly let out a piercing roar, and led its herd away into the night sky.

            A blinding silvery light flashed in the sky. The darkness crept away. Dementors were now exposed under the natural sky.

            Koori watched the dragons soared across the sky back to their home. She let out a sigh of relieve, and then nearly fell off her broom.

            She was absolutely exhausted. It's been years since she used magic that required her to show her "form", even if only partly, it had left her completely drained, especially the last blast, which she used to chase away the darkness brought by the dementors. Now, at least, whoever was fighting the dementors could see. She was going to need a huge dose of Strength potion.

            She looked down and saw Dumbledore and his crew was fighting rather well. She looked especially hard for the lean figure of Snape and found him still in perfect form, so she started circling down toward Astronomy tower to land. She can afford to have her potion first before she go out again to help them.

            Then, something caught her eyes. About a hundred or so of dementors were approaching the back of the castle. She remembered that there was a small side door, which was likely to be forgotten by most students and staff.

            She looked toward the front entrance of the castle, there all the fighting was now. There must be thousands of dementors, against about fifty people. Although Dumbledore and his crew was fighting rather well, but they had no one to spare and the back of castle was completely unguarded. However, if these dementors at the back entered the castle, it would be disastrous.

            Koori scowled and gritted her teeth. If she had to take on a hundred dementors, so be it. First of all, she needed a well aimed patronus to ward off the entrance. If there was anything worse than her wand aim, it was the aim of her wandless magic, which means, she had to use her kodachi again. The thought made her heart race with anticipation and excitement. With a fluid movement, she pulled out the weapon that had been hidden under her robes for months. The slightly curved blade glimmered and reflected her own face at her. As her hands moved to hold it properly, she felt her power coursed through the blade. With her eyes glued on the dementors, she raised the kodachi over her head, and slashed it down sharply. A giant silver serpent rolled off from the edge, uncoiled itself in mid-air and shot toward the dementors. 

            The dementors were forced to move back a few hundreds yards. But Koori did not command her potronus to chase them further, instead, the serpent stayed close to the castle to guard the entrance, so the dementors could not go near. 

            Koori knew, of course, the patronus would not last forever, but at least she had time to prepare now. She pulled out the bluish crystal, Tear of Leida, which she wore hidden under her collar, and held it at the tip of her sword. Then she set all her power to the concentrate on the crystal until her hand started tremble and beads of sweat started to form on her forehead.

            A drop of liquid, clear with a slight bluish hue just the same as the crystal, started to form at the bottom of the gem. Then it dropped on the blade and rolled down its dege. The blade glowed for a second. 

            Koori looked toward the dementors again. Her patronus was beginning to fade. She took in a deep breath and started diving. If she died in this, at least her name would be cleared. 

            If dementors were capable of having human thoughts and emotions, they would be afraid and somewhat curious now. The girl in front of them had landed boldly as the patronus shimmered into the air, with a fearless, almost triumphant smile on her face. But dementors were driven only by their basic instinct of feeding, and they only recognize the girl, so radiant and pure, as a feast.

            Koori watched the approaching dementors calmly. She bent down, using her kotachi to cut off the hem of her robe, so it was barely reaching her ankles. Then she wrapped the fabric on her hands. The katochi had returned to its sheath, which was held in her left hand. Her right hand was resting on the handle. Poised and ready, she waited for the dementors to come into her range.

            When the first dementor was about two arm lengths away, the kotachi was drew with lightening speed and traced a graceful arc. The blade slashed through the dementor and the latter burst into silvery flames. 

            Koori wasted no time. Without giving the silvery fireball as much as a second glance, she already swirled around and gave the second dementor a backhanded slash. Then she leaped high, somersaulted in the midair, stabbed the third one in the head and landed crouching, only to jump again the cut the throat of the fourth. Within minutes, the lawn at the back of the castle was covered in silvery blaze.

            Snape was throwing spell after spell faster than he had ever done. Every spell required positive emotion and happy memory, which he had to admit to himself that he did not possess much. The little that he had, he noticed, always involved Koori or her mother in one way or the other. 

            _Koori, no more than two hours old, wrapped into a cute, white bundle, sleeping in her crib and the wave of joy that washed over him… _

_            Koori's huge black eyes staring curiously at him when he picked her up for the first time and how he swore silently to protect her at any cost…_

_            Koori's giggle and her little hand waving in midair while he played with her…_

_            Koori crawling across the lawn to reach him, while her mother was sitting beside him, humming a children's song. The scent of fresh grass and spring air filled his nostrils… _

_            Koori's first step, how she swaggered across the kitchen and fell into his waiting arms…_

_            Koori spoke for the first time. She suddenly turned to him from her toys and called him "Papa Sev". How he was astonished, and how a lovely blush appeared on her mother's beautiful face…_

_Koori and her mother playing together in the garden after dinner.__ The sky was crimson red. They made a crown of flowers and put in on his head and her mother brushed away a wisp of hair from his forehead…_

_Koori sitting in front of him on his broomstick while he held her tightly with his left hand, and the two of them soar through the dark sky over the purple moor…_

The last dementor diminished. He glanced around the ground, panting, then his still racing heart suddenly caught in his throat. 

Where is Koori?

He looked frantically around and still not seeing the girl. He panicked. 

Maybe she just went back to the castle. He tried to tell himself. After all the girl had seen her own mother receive the dementor's kiss, she had every reason to not willing to face dementors again. Yet he knew that Koori would never leave the battlefield with the fighting still unfinished. 

"Where's Koori?" He said out loud. A couple of students turned around to look at him, astonished. But he didn't care how strange he looked to students now.

"Where's Koori?!" He said again, even louder. "Where is she?" This time he shouted. 

"Sir…" A Hufflepuff girl said carefully and nearly jumped when he whipped around to look at her. "I saw her dived toward the back of the castle…"

He immediately took off without a second of hesitation, but another figure was even faster than he and was shooting toward the back of the castle like an arrow. 

It was Harry Potter. 

He glanced behind, and somewhat amused to see Draco Malfoy followed closely behind him. 

Koori had never felt so cold before. She had lost count of how many dementors that she had destroyed but they just kept coming and all of them draining her. All she could do was swinging, slashing, stabbing as fast as she could. Her strength was failing her. All her joints were hurting and her limbs were numb from the cold that she felt from inside. She could no longer feel her own sword. 

Reality was fading from her too. Voices, images, emotions and feelings were flashing in her brain. 

_The dark mark burned into her soft baby arm_. _A wave of dark energy washed over her, so filthy that it almost choked her…_

_Every nerve ending exploding with pain and she suddenly understood the concept of death…_

_Mother's form was so pure. Her skin was translucent and emitting soft glow. Her long hair was silver silk, billowing with her robe as she threw spells at the dementors. She looked so beautiful, but so fragile. Two glistening, scabbed hands tried to hold her still but she was still struggling with the last bit of strength. Another black cloaked and hooded figure approached her slowly, very slowly. With such deliberation, it pushed off its hood. It bent down slowly, its jaw placed on mother's mouth. So gentle, almost like the kiss of a lover. Soft, caressing, but unforgiving, like the cruel beauty of Death itself. It was the kiss of Death. Mother's body become limp, her huge eyes stared out unseeingly…_

Kodachi slid off her hands and hit the ground with a loud "clang".  She vaguely felt her shoulders held by slimy, cold fingers. Dimly, she saw another dementor pushed off its hood and bending down at her. She tried to see its face, but it was blurry. 

_Faceless…___

She didn't care anymore. Soulless, the same as death. Her head lolled back. Lips slightly parted, she waited and welcomed the touch of Death. Random images flashed in her mind.

_Blood slowly spreading on snow like a blossoming flower. The contrast of red against white was blinding. The cruel beauty of Death…_

Suddenly the cold fingers and the faceless head of dementors disappeared from her vision. She seemed to make out a silver stag, then a silver wolf, and finally a silver dragon.

She could no longer see. 

She was falling.

_A yellow, withered leaf fell off from the nearly empty branch. It floated this way and that in the chilly autumn breeze and finally touched the ground. The ground was warm… _

A/N: Did I succeed in showing more of Koori's weakness, or did I just make her weirder? 

And I know it's a bit early, but in order to have enough people's opinion, I'll start the survey now. Does everyone want a sad ending or a relatively happy one? 

Kodachi, if anyone remembered, is a short Japanese sword. It is shorter than Katana (the normal samurai sword) but longer than a dagger. It is normally used defense. The bit of Kendo fighting in this chapter owed something to _Rurouni__ Kenshin, one of the best Japanese comic, and which, of course, I do not own. Just so I mentioned if anyone recognized the movements._

DarkSlytherinAngel: Thanks a LOT for reviewing again!! You have no idea how happy I am when I know there are people out there who are still following this fic. ^_^

Merani: Thank you for your suggestion! Please keep them coming. The character of Koori still needs a lot of help. I mean, she's quite 3-D in my own mind, but I seem to have trouble conveying that to my reader…

Maybe I should get a Beta… Is anyone interested?


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

       Harry didn't know when it happened. Maybe it was when Koori's unconscious body fell into his waiting arms; maybe it was when he was the grace of the way she used her kodachi; maybe it was way back when she first revealed herself to him by the lake on the first day of the school year. It didn't matter anymore, because now, when he sat beside her bed in the infirmary, watching her pale, weak form, he knew he loved her.  

       The girl must have had some special influence on people. 

       Although it was Harry who caught her when she passed out, it was Snape who wrapped her shivering body in his cloak and carefully carried her to the hospital wing. Harry had never imagined Snape could be capable of such tender expression. Also, Harry had never seen Draco Malfoy looked as concerned as he looked at Koori. Koori had been unconscious for a whole day now. Harry went to see how she was doing as often as he could, and he was told that both Snape and Draco were doing the same. Sometimes he would even run into one or both of them, and strangely enough, none of them was the mood of insulting each other.

       Harry's scar twitched from time to time on that day. He wasn't surprised. The attack turned out to be a disaster to Voldemort. Koori had single-handedly taken care of the dragons. Someone had lowered the apparition barrier, but had not completely taken it down, so whoever tried to apparate into the ground was splinched and now caught. As about the dementors, they caused far less damage than expected. Some students suffered from depression later, but there was nothing permanent. With such result, Harry wasn't surprised that Voldemort was furious. With somewhat of a glee, Harry tired to close his mind and went on with his day. 

       Koori, although unconscious, was by no mean resting peacefully. When Harry went to visit her during lunch time, he found Snape sitting by her side as well. Suddenly, Koori shuddered, then she started to wither and thrashing about as if she was in pain. Beads of sweats formed on her forehead.

       "Potter! Go get Madame Pomfrey!" Snape barked. 

       Harry did so without objection or one second of hesitation, even ignoring the sudden wild twitch of his scar, because Koori reminded him of victims under Cruciatus curse.

       Snape surprised him again with he returned. The Potion Master was gently wiping Koori's damp forehead with a handkerchief. The moment before he masked his face with an expression of indifference again, Harry saw something of a mixture of pain and desperation.

       Everything hurts. 

       Koori felt like she had been put under Cruciatus curse for an hour. Her body had been shriveled into a bundle of nerve endings. She dared not a move a muscle. 

       Slowly, very slowly, she ventured open her eyes a little bit. It proved to be a big mistake. The light flooded past her eye lids and shot a sharp pain into her brain then down her spine, to every still over sensitive nerve. She quickly shut her eyes again, only to double the pain.

       "Too bright…" she managed to choke out. 

       "It's only a candle light, Koori." Came Harry's rather confused voice. 

       Damn, he's speaking too loud. Koori thought, but speaking hurt too much, instead she tried to remain as still as possible. 

       "Koori?" Harry whispered. 

       Somehow it didn't hurt that much now. Perhaps her nerves had calmed a bit. So she tried talking again. "What time?"

       "Eleven o'clock. Almost curfew."

       "Mm. The light."

       "The light? Do you want me to put out the light?"

       "Mm."

       "Sorry. This is the only light in this room. Madame Pomfrey wanted it here."

       Having no choice, Koori opened her eyes again. She couldn't talk to Harry with eyes closed. The pain flooded her body again, but she willed her eyes to remain open. 

       "_K'so_." She cursed under her breath when the pain finally subdued. 

       Harry's face came to view. Blurry at first, but soon her eyes regained their focus. Seeing Harry's concerned gaze, Koori tried to give him a small smile, but her face muscle wasn't working. The smile probably turned into a grimace. 

       But Harry gave her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen in return. Such joy, relief and other emotions that she could not place well radiated from his face, that it made his face the most heart touching sight. Koori couldn't help but stare at him awe, her own pain almost forgotten. 

       Before she knew it, one of Harry's hands had come up to rest on her cheek bone. "Merlin, Koori, you gave me a fright."

       There was something different in Harry's voice too, Koori felt. It seemed to gain multiple layers, all the while seems extraordinarily pure and clear. Also there seemed to be a strange resonance that shook straight to the hand on her cheek bone, into her flesh. A wave of warmth spread in her body. She felt her aching muscle relax. She let out a content sigh, let her eye lids droop and subconsciously turned her face to lean into his hand. 

       "_Honto? Gomen._" She whispered, not really caring whether he could hear it or not. 

       And of course Harry wouldn't understand even if he heard it. But it did not matter. Harry was entranced by Koori's expression. It was so relaxed, peaceful, even vulnerable, but all the while lovelier to Harry. Sure, Koori was exceptionally beautiful, whether she's in her alert, thoughtful, friendly or fierce state. She even looked like a goddess when she glowed silvery light and yielded the ice shield. But now, when she let down her guard completely, Harry had the overwhelming urge to cherish and worship her. At that moment, he almost told her, how much he loved her and wished to protect her. Instead, he heard himself saying: "Are you tired? Should I leave?"

       "No." Koori snuggled closer. "Just keep talking."

       And so Harry stayed and tried to keep talking. For a few seconds, he just kept his mouth open and nothing came out. There were a million things swarming in his head that he'd like to tell her, the girl he loved, yet no word form. He knew he probably should say something comforting, soothing and beautiful. But, it was Koori! What would be comforting, soothing and beautiful compare to her!

       To his horror, when he eventually started talking, he told her the outcome of their battle, about how Snape and Draco were here to visit her as often as they could.

       A tiny smile appeared on her lips, and Harry's breath was taken away.

       "You…are really special, you know?" Harry whispered. 

       "So are you…" Koori murmured before completely closing her eyes and fell asleep with that smile.

       Harry slipped out of the infirmary as quietly as possible and walked slowly back to the Gryffindor tower in a dazed state, until he almost walked into Snape.

       "Potter, what are you doing out of bed?" Snape snapped. 

       Harry realized that it was indeed past curfew, but he was in too good a mood to argue. So he answered rather pleasantly. "I just came back from the hospital wing, sir. Koori woke up just now, but she fell asleep again. Must've been really tired."

       Snape's gleaming eyes seemed to soften for a second when he head Koori fell asleep, but then he bore down to Harry, who was still half a head shorter, and hissed. "While I am grateful on her behalf for your…concern for her, I must remind you, despite your…uh, hero complex, Koori is never yours to protect."

       "I suppose that's your job then?" Harry hissed back. 

       "She's a Slytherin, Potter." Snape straightened up. "And I am her head of the house. While she is still in school, I am responsible for her. So _yes_!" he gazed straight into Harry's eyes. "She is _mine_ to protect." And with that he started move away, only to stop after two strides. "The Headmaster somehow sees the necessity of keeping you here and safe." He said without turning to look at Harry. "And as one of his staff, I am to obey that wish despite my personal liking. It would be better if you keep some distance with Miss Kenmura. It'll be safer for you both."

       Harry watched Snape marched on and slowly disappearing into the darkness of the hallway, then realized that he neither deducted point nor gave him detentions. 

       "Where have you been?"

       Harry nearly jumped out of his skin. He was thinking about what Snape's odd behaviour on his way back, and didn't notice Hermione sitting in the common room at all. 

       "'Mione!" Harry let out a nervous laugh. "You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing, still studying?"

       Instead of answering, Hermione looked at him long and hard, then said, "You went to see Kenmura again, didn't you?" It was not really a question.

       Harry nodded. 

       "How's she doing?"

       "Not too bad, I suppose. She woke up, but seems to be under a lot of pain, then she felt better and fell asleep."

       "Good. " Hermione went back to the enormous book on her lap. "I am doing some research about her."

       "What?!"

       "Don't you think she's very special?" Hermione looked up again. "Like she's perfect?"

       "Of course…"

       "I mean a little too perfect? Like she has the face a of a porcelain doll, body of Barbie. She flies better than you do, gets the highest mark in the class without even studying. She knew dragons were coming without seeing it, then went off fending off a herd of dragons and a hundred dementors all by herself. And she has this special power, yielding an ice shield and makes herself glow like that. And not to mention, she has a serpent for patronus. Don't you find all that strange, Harry?"

       Harry had nothing to say in return. Everything Hermione said made sense, but they all just made Koori more precious to him. After all, he was in love. 

A/N: I am so so so so sorry!!! It took so long! You see, I just got into university, and there was so much work. I have just finished my exams, and the first thing I did is to rush out another chapter. I hope you all are still following this fic. I will finish this no matter what. 

And I know this chapter is somewhat lame…I am loosing my touch, and this is also one of those great transition states (bonds partly forming and partly breaking….never mind, too much chemistry recently…gone insane. But if you take organic chemistry you know what I was talking about. Haha.)

Anyways. Please leave a review!

DarkSlytherinAngel: (deep bow) Thank you sooo much for your support! I guess I let you down by taking so long to update, but I will try my best from now on. I hope you are still with me. As about the happy/sad ending, hehe, actually I always write a happy/sad ending, it's just a matter of more happy or more sad…don't worry.

YW: Thank you! As about Koori's heritage, hmm, it's not the biggest mystery of the story. (there is no big mystery in this story anyway, it's not a mystery novel.) But is it that obvious? What's your guess? ^_^ And thanks for the note on grammar. I know that's my weakness.

Japanese:

K'so: can be translated into "damn", but not that severe. (I am not sure if this is the correct spelling as _Romanji_)

Honto: really

Gomen: sorry. A casual way of saying it.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

            Koori was born with the gift of memory, or rather, the burden of memory. From the moment of her birth, she would never forget a thing she'd seen, heard or feel. Yet after that fearful night sixteen years ago, she didn't remember feeling one moment of happiness like she was feeling for the next five weeks. She was locked in the hospital wing for five days, surrounded by treats of all kinds from her schoolmates. When she was released, she had become the hero of the school. Not that she wanted to be worshipped, but part of her quest is to clear her name, and finally, for the first time in16 years, no one was looking at her with suspicion anymore. In the second week of November, she received a bottle of scent from Snape, her birthday present. And to her and Snape's great surprise, she broke into tears when she unwrapped it. The 16 years, she finally received a present on her real birthday, not the one made up by her foster parents. Her past had came back her. 

            She could feel Voldemort's fury growing by second, but she was somewhat relieved by it, for she knew that she had driven him into a bottomless pit. It was only a matter of time that she'll find out where he was and find a way to destroy him. Only a matter of time…

            And Harry! The boy's affection was obvious. Although she did not give him a clear answer to it, but she did enjoy it, after all, she had not felted being protected for a long time. 

            She was rarely alone in the following five weeks. She would study with Harry in the library in her free time, and very often she would spend the time after dinner and before curfew in Snape's private library or private lab. Strangely enough, she felt at peace with their company. 

            Perhaps, she often thought during that five week, this peace can go on forever. Perhaps, she did not have to follow her quest anymore. Perhaps her quest was finished. It was what she wanted, wasn't it? 

            For a while, she believed that peace.

            However, the illusion of peace was short-lived.

            A week before the finals and Christmas break, Dumbledore came down to the dungeon during a potion class.   

            "Professor Snape, may I borrow Miss Kenmura for a moment?" Dumbledore said at the door. 

            Snape nodded, but didn't even bother to hide his annoyance. 

            Koori stood up and followed Dumbledore to the corridor.

            "Miss Kenmura, I really don't know how to break the news to you." Dumbledore stopped right there, as if he is hoping that Koori can guess the information he was carrying. But Koori patiently stared at him with a blank face.

            Dumbledore cleared his throat and went on. "I have just received he news that, that your parents have been murdered."

            Koori looked startled for a second, but otherwise showed no emotion. 

            "Their death are now under investigation of Ministry of Magic, so far it seems that they dies of the killing curse, if you understand what I mean."

            "I understand perfectly, Headmaster." Koori's voice came silkily and smoothly, betraying no trace of shock or grief.

            "I see. Their bodies will be transported back to Japan for funeral next Monday. You will be excused from school should you wish to attend the funeral."

            "I will see my other professors about that." Still, her voice is calm and flat.

            "Koori," Dumbledore gazed at her over his half-moon glasses, "I am really sorry. If there is anything I can…" But he never finished his sentence, because Koori had cut him off rather rudely.

            "If that is all, headmaster, then I will go back to my class now. Thank you for coming down." With that she abruptly turned, and in a swirl of black robe, she marched back into the classroom. 

            Dumbledore straightened up and watched she leave. Slowly, his white brow knotted together.

            Koori strode into the classroom with her black robe billowing behind her furiously, until she reached her cauldron. Then she froze and took in a deep breath.

            Everyone's attention was fixed upon her. 

            Suddenly, she grabbed her cauldron and with full force she threw it at the opposite wall.

            Half done potion splashed everywhere. Most people took shelter quickly, but she remained motionless, letting the hot, poisonous liquid shower her and burning away her pale skin. 

            "Miss Kenmura!" Snape snarled.

            Her head shot up and her black eyes burning straight into his. "Fifty points from Slytherin or detention for the rest of the year. Go ahead, professor."

            Her gaze was so fierce that Snape almost cringed. Her lips pursed tight and was as pale as her face. Her fist clenched so tight that her nail dug into her palm and blood dripped down through her figures. Suddenly, she turned and raced out of the classroom.

            "Merlin's blood!" Snape cursed under his breath, then barked his order at the stunned class. "Keep working! When I come back I expect all potions done and this mess cleaned up!" With that, he raced out of the classroom as well.

            Snape looded both side of the hall way and spotted the swirl of black robe at the far corner. Cursing, he followed.

            Following an 18 year old well-trained athlete was by no mean easy for Snape. Even his longer stride did not help much. It was not until they reached astronomy tower that Snape finally caught up with her. 

            There, he found Koori stood in the middle of an empty classroom with her back to him, panting. Her shoulders were unusually rigid.

            "Koori." He called gently.

            Koori spun around. 

            "I'm not afraid of the dementors anymore, you know." She said, her voice well grounded but had lot its usual silkiness. "Let them come, there is nothing good left in there to feed them anyway!" She tapped a long figure furiously again her temple.

            Snape looked down for a while, and when he spoke again, her voice was unbelievably soft. "What about those memories with me? When you were little?"

            Koori froze and stared at him. Her expression was a mixture of pain, anger and grief. Then she drew in a deep breath and held it. When she let it out, her knees gave in and she fell hard on the stone floor.

            "He killed them," her voice was now bare above a desperate whisper. "He wants to make sure that I have no where to go back to, so he killed them. He's threatening me…not them, oh please, not them…"

            Snape knelt down beside her, and slowly gathered her up in his arms, not sure if it was the right thing to do.

            "Those memories with you, were good, happy…" Koori rested her head on his shoulder and bit down her lips to stop tears from falling down.

            "Cry. Let it out." He said.

            "I won't." her voice was as shaky as her breath. "I won't surrender. I won't…" A drop of blood trickled down her chin and stained Snape's robe, but the tear did not fall.

            Snape could only hold her tighter and spoke gently by her ear. "Shh…You still have me, child. You still have me."

            And that is how the rest of the staff found them.

A/N: Sorry for taking so long. But I am almost failing my first year. And I know this chapter is really…raw, and short. This is actually one of the first part I wrote for this fic and I really don't know how to edit my own work…Anyway, please review! (readers: [throwing eggs, rotten tomato and bricks] How dare you ask for review for such a crappy chapter!)

crazy-lil-nae-nae: Glad you like it.^_^

Lindiel Eryn:  Thanks for the information on Quebecois! So you live in Montreal now? I went there again last summer, and it's so beautiful. I really wish I can live there for a while, but my French is really poor. Even though most people can speak English there, but I still feel out of place for speaking English. 

Oh, and as about whether Snape is Koori's father, hmm….hehe, not telling!


	16. Chapter 16

Warning: Graphic violence in this chapter!!

Chapter 16

Snape finished marking seventh year's report. Koori's, as always, was at the bottom of the pile and was the last one to be marked. Somehow that was always a small comfort for him during the late night markings.

Snape put down his quill and stared at the girl's fiery handwriting in front of him. It had been a week since Koori's parents'death. Koori had gone back to Japan for the funeral and came back. There was a change about her. She seemed to push herself harder. There was a jerkiness and resolution in her movement, but strangely enough it had not made her less graceful. Snape could see the change in her handwriting even. It made him worry.

He glanced at the clock on his desk. It was almost midnight. He decided it was time to head back to his quarter. His thought went back to Koori as he was on his way.

Christmas break was only three days away. Koori had become a homeless orphan all of sudden. Being her head of the house, he was officially the girl's guardian. He considered sending a house-elf back to Yorkshire, where his ancestral home was, to clean up the house a little, so that he can bring Koori there for Christmas. He would ask her about it.

Still deep in his thought, Snape reached his quarter. Muttering the password, the door opened, and he was surprised to find his sitting room icy chill and in complete darkness.

His right hand went immediately to his wand. His well-trained eyes adjusted to the darkness after only a few seconds. As a gust of cold breeze cut across his face, he found out the reason for the unusualness in the room. The window was wide open, and standing by the window was none other than the subject of his thoughts.

The girl was standing with her back to the door and turned to face him when she heard him coming in. she was clad in a strange Ninja like outfit. Her kotachi was held firmly in her hand. Snape noticed that her skin seemed to glow in the dark room, and there was a trace of silver her otherwise pitch black eyes. He glanced around the room, and saw Koori's broomstick in corner.

Not a good sign. Something really bad must have happened. Or about to.

"Koori, what's wrong?" He asked.

Koori looked away and did not answer immediately. It looked like she was searching for words to express her rage. Finally, she said: "Voldemort had sent his raven earlier tonight, carrying this." She raised her hand and let Snape take a good look at her kotachi. Snape saw that it was no longer the one she used in the battle against dementors. Her old set was black, with steel scabbard and brass wrist guard. The set in her hand now had a classical design, with write wooden scabbard and no wrist guard. He was no expert on sword, but from the energy it was radiating, it was very authentic. "This,"Koori continued, "is my parent"s birthday gift to me."

"That bastard..." Snape gasped. According to Japanese wizarding tradition, a young wizard/witch will receive his/her weapon of choice upon the eighteenth birthday from family. It will be the set of weapon that is used for the rest of the life. Kenmuras were not wizards, but out of love and respect for their daughter, they followed the tradition. It was not only cruel for Voldemort to forward the gift, but the act can also be considered as a challenge. No doubt Koori was furious.

"The FOOL!"Koori could no longer contain her rage. She roared. For that moment, her eyes turned completely silver. Snape could see silver started appearing at the roots of her hair.

"Calm down, Koori, you are showing your Form."

"Then let him see it!" She answered fiercely. "A wizard of his level should know better than to test the rage of a Leida!" It was partly true. At least for now, Snape himself would not try to cross her. Even at the moment, Snape could feel a wave of raw power washing over him, making him speechless and cold sweat forming on his forehead.

Koori paid no attention to him. "I can understand why he killed them. It was unfortunate on their part, and even though it broke my heart, I will be patient with my revenge. But how dare him!"

Suddenly Snape realized what she was about to do. Panic raising in his chest, he opened his mouth to protest, but Koori gave him no chance.

"I've sent Ryu to trace the raven. He will be back any time now. I came to say goodbye."

"Koori, don't!" Snape finally found his voice again. It reeked fear. Even himself could hear it. " Voldemort had done the unforgivable, but you must remain calm! If you go now..."

"Voldemort had sent his challenge and I will answer it!" Koori cut him off. "There are more nightmares when the night is long. I know the danger, but I will not suffer him any longer."

Even as she spoke, a large golden eagle flew in from the window and rested on her shoulder. That was the moment the full moon struggled out from the sea of clouds and poured its silver light into the room.

To Snape, whose eyes had adjusted to the darkness, the light was blinding. He raised his hand to shield his eyes against the silver flood, and he saw, darker than the shadows, was the silhouette of Koori. Against the silver moonlight, she stood tall and erect, with an eagle standing on her shoulder and hair floating in the night breeze. She looked almighty.

He felt an old fear swelling in him. The fear he first felt on the night almost 17 years ago. The fear of loosing.

"I have to go now."Came her voice smooth, cool and crisp as colliding jade. "If Ryu return by himself tonight, you know what to tell everyone."

"Child, please..." It was barely a whisper, but he knew that she could hear it. He realized that he was begging, but he didn't care.

The moon had hid back into clouds and Snape could again see her face. He saw her eyes, hypnotizingly dark, were full of sadness. He wanted to drown in them.

"You are the only one that I came to visit, because you are the only one that I could not bear leaving. I love you, but I suppose you know that." Her voice was now as soft as a silk thread in the air and it seemed to be threatened of breaking with the shaky breath that she drew. "_Imamade, arigato gozaimasu. Soshite, sayonara."_

And with that, she was gone.

Peter Pettigrew liked to consider himself Voldmort's right-hand man. There was some reason behind it, of course. Having the powerful silver hand was one of them. Also, Voldmort trusted him enough to let him take care of Nagini. But still, no matter how highly he considered himself, in the eyes of other Death Eaters, he was the "snake care taker", the servant of the Master's pet, not even worthy to serve the Master himself. No, the real right hand man was Lucius Malfoy, not Pettigrew, or Wormtail as the master called him, the rat-like, watery Gryffindor.

Pettigrew's most important job was indeed taking care of Nagini and milking her venom. Never a job the he enjoyed, silver hand or not. Why would he? His Animagus form was a rat for Merlin's sake. He was careful to not to show his Animagus form in front of Nagini. The snake did not enjoy milking too much. He could never be sure whether Nagini would take a bite of him for revenge.

That particular night was Nagini's milking time again. And the snake was more stubborn than ever. The Master's carrier raven had returned a couple hours ago. He had nothing else to do for the night. So his full attention is focused on the difficult serpent. That is, until the door of his little cabin swung open.

The cabin door flew open with a loud clash, like it's been kicked open. Cold wind rushed in along with a dark shadow.

Pettigrew immediately drew his wand. His only visitor would be the dark lord, and the dark lord would never present himself in such manner.

But before he cast his first hex, his wand flew out of his hand. His visitor did not utter any incarnation, nor did she drew a wand. The female visitor only held out her hand, and his wand just dashed into her hand.

Stunned and fearful, Pettigrew took a good look at the intruder. The young, tall girl was dressed in black body fitting clothes. Her hair was tousled, her cheek was flushed, like she had just got off broomstick. Her enormous black eyes surveyed the room, and finally set her eyes on him. Just then, a golden eagle flew in, rested on her shoulder and fixed its sharp eyes on him too.

Eyes of two predators on a rat.

Pettigrew cringed.

The girl was the first one to speak. "You are...Peter Pettigrew, aren't you?"

"Who..who's asking?" He stuttered.

She tilted her head up slightly. "Kenmura Koori. But the Dark Lord knows me by the name of Serpentina."

Hearing that, Pettigrew visibly relaxed. Of course he knew who Serpentina was. The youngest Death Eater ever initiated.

"You really shouldn"t barge in like that. I could've killed you." He said.

Koori raised an eyebrow at him, then glanced down at the wand in her hand.

Pettigrew felt his ears burn. "Never mind. Give me back my wand."

Koori didn't pay attention to him, instead, she paced around. "I take it that the Master is not here."

"Obviously! Can I have my wand back?" Pettigrew said, slightly irritated.

Koori faced him again and looked at him for a second, then said, "Certainly." She tossed the wand back.

"So, where is our Lord?"Koori asked, while eyeing Nagini with interest. Nagini hissed at her. She smiled and hissed back.

"You are a Parselmouth?"

"Mm-hmm. Really, where is our lord? I have something very important for him. See, I followed the raven here on broomstick here just to see him."

"Well, if the lord doesn't tell you where he is, then obviously he doesn't want you to find him. I can't tell you if I know, can I?"

Koori locked her eyes on him again, then shrugged. "Make sense."

"But you can leave a message with me. I'll relay it."

"That's fine. What's she doing here." Koori pointed at Nagini with her chin.

"The master needs her venom."

"What for?" Koori knelt down by Nagini and said something in Parseltongue. Nagini literally fawned over her.

Pettigrew found no reason to not to trust her, especially seeing her with Nagini. "The Master needs snake venom to extend his life force. He has a body now, but without snake venom, he'll grow weaker. He only needs one dose on every other full moon now, not nearly as before."

"Is that what you are for?" Koori looked at Nagini and repeated it in Parseltongue. Nagini nodded.

"Ah, well then." Koori stood up. In an instant, her expression changed from warm and friendly to cold and cruel. "Ryu, you can have her."

For the next few seconds, things moved in slow motion for Pettigrew. First, the eagle on her shoulder dashed down toward Nagini and before the snake had a chance to move, it is already clutched tightly in the eagle's talons.

Then, he himself raised his wand and fired a "stupefy", but Koori was faster. Her kotachi suddenly appeared in her hand and she pulled the blade partly out. A teeth chattering sound of blade glide through the sheath. The deadly gleam of the steel. The girl didn't even bother to move. She merely poised the blade at where the curse would hit her.

Red light of the stunning curse hit the blade and reflected right back at him. He moved just in time. The curse flew past his ear.

He aimed again, but found the space where Koori occupied a moment ago empty.

"Up here, _Ahou_!" Came her voice from the ceiling.

Pettigrew looked up, and indeed the girl had leaped into midair. She slashed her kotachi down, a white light rolled off from the blade and hit him square in the chest. He was hurled backward and slammed into the wall with such a force that he could not breathe.

With a side glance he saw the eagle had already tore Nagini apart. He knew now that he had no chance against Koori and Voldmort would kill him with his bare hands even if he survived the encounter.

He transformed. He thought he had a better chance of escaping this way, until he found himself face to face with a black king cobra.

He froze at the reptile's pitch black eyes. Suddenly a jolt of pain shot through him and he found the fangs of the cobra already sunk into him. He was lifted into the air, then slammed into the wall again, with a big piece of flesh torn off from his back. In pain, he transformed back into human form, and saw the king cobra transformed back to Koori, with his blood dripping down her chin.

He tried to move, but the cold blade was already pressed against his throat.

She sneered down at him, brought a hand up to wipe the blood on her chin, then casually licked it off.

"I didn't put in poison when I bit you." She said, her voice soft and smooth as silk. "Now you have three chances. Where is Voldmort?"

"Don't know." He groaned, too painful to give a proper answer.

Koori frowned. "_Ruse."_She muttered and brought her kotachi down to a quick slice.

Pettigrew saw a silver flash first, then his silver hand flew in the air and landed on the floor with a dull thud. Finally, he saw blood splashed on the wall and Koori's cheek. Only then he realized that Koori had cut off his hand. He howled in pain.

Koori's expression became neutral again. Paying no attention to the blood on her face, she pressed the blade back to his neck. "Now the second time, where is Voldmort?"

"I...­I don't know." He gasped.

Koori pressed the kotachi harder. Blood oozed out.

"Last chance, where is Voldmort?"

"Really, I don't know!" Pettigrew yelled. Cold sweat dripped down his brow. "The Dark Lord came here for his snake venom and messages only! He never told me where he actually stays. He comes and goes as he please!"

Koori paused for a moment then raised slowly and took away the blade. "I suppose you are telling the truth." She said with a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"Of course."

Koori said nothing. She only gave the kotachi a quick shake to shake off the blood and sheathed it. Then she turned and started to walk away.

Pettigrew let out a sigh of relieve.

But Koori suddenly whirled around, pulled out her kotachi with lightening speed in the process. A silver flash rolled off from the blade and hit Pettigrew. He felt as if he was plunged into an ice bucket, and the temperature was rapidly dropping.

"That curse is called _koorinoen."_ Pettigrew heard her calm voice. "Fire of ice. The strongest curse in the ice order. You must know what absolute zero is. At this temperature, all particle stops vibrating and lose all energy. _Koorinoen_ will bring all particles in your body below absolute zero. Do you know what will happen then? You body will implode. That is, you will dissolve to nothing. Normally, the effect is instantaneous, but I slowed it down just for you." Koori knelt down so she was at eye level with Pettigrew, watching a sheet of ice started form on his skin. "Do you want to know why?"A smile, beautiful and sweet as angel's appeared on her lips. She opened her mouth very slowly.

Pettigrew heard what she had to say as the last sound he heard.

"I did it for Harry."

Koori watched Pettigrew dissolved into air. Only then he expression was replace by a look of exhaustion. She stood up slowly, turned to face Ryu, who was still tearing at the remains of Nagini.

"Had fun with her, Ryu-chan?"

Ryu screeched.

"Let's go then. It's enough for the day." Her voice was drained off any energy.

With Ryu on her shoulder, she picked up Pettigrew's silver hand and walked out of the door. On her way out, she put her hand on the wooden frame and whispered "_Hinote_." Flame shot up beneath her fingers, and when she removed her hand, the fire extended to the rest of the cabin.

She mounted her broomstick and set off. Only when she was high up in the air did she stop and looked back.

Beneath her, in the vast complete darkness, there was the burning cabin, looking like a tiny torch from so high above, but bright all the same in the reflection in her dark eyes.

A/N: I did it! I finally did it, the blood scene. I hope you are not too disgusted by it.

Anyway, sorry for taking so long! My first year is finally over, and guess what, I passed! Now I can focus more on writing. Really, after such a long year, I want nothing but a long vacation, only reading and writing.

I think I've said it before, but I'll repeat it here. I'll never ever give up this fic. Please be patient with me, and I'll work it out. And please leave reviews. Thanks!!

Gallandro-83: Thx for reviewing again. Hehe, you think that Hermione is close to the answer? You are quite close to them. Well, quite, I say, but still not there. So keep reading! Koori's scene with Harry and Hermione's worst fear comes true? Coming soon, stay tuned..

Tsuai: Thanks for reviewing! I just want you to know that your critic is valuable. Koori's character still need development, I'm still working on it.

Lindiel Eryn: Well, I'm sure most people in Montreal can speak English very well. But the whole city, the culture and everything, seemed very French, so it will still be out of place. Anyway, glad you're still following this fic.

Japanese

Imamade arigato gozaimasu, soshite sayonara: up to now, thank you very much. For now, goodbye. (For those who find it familiar, yes, this is straight out of Rurouni Kenshin.)

Ahou: idiot.

Ruse: (sp?)Waste words.

Koorinoen: (my penname!hehe) as Koori said, fire of ice

Hinote: fire

There are more nightmares when the night is long: this is actually a Chinese proverb, I'm sure there is a Japanese version of it. Even though there isn't, Koori studied in a Japanese magical school, and is probably very well versed in Chinese. (Also my kind of getting lazy.)


	17. Chapter 17

Warning: slight swearing and self abuse.

Chapter 17

Koori was exhausted when she reached the castle, and dived into her room immediately. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. When she finally woke up, she found out that she was already late for her first period potion class.

Throwing her school robe over her ninja uniform and grabbing her bag, she raced to the Potion classroom.

As soon as she opened the classroom door, she felt her heart squeeze tight in her chest.

Snape was writing on the blackboard when she entered, which is unusual (Snape uses magical notes). Hearing the door open, he turned to the door. He looked worse than ever. His bloodshot eyes betrayed that he stayed up all night. His face was so pale that it was almost gray. His dark eyes were completely blank, without any depth. It seemed that all signs of life had drained from him.

"My apologies, Professor."She said, suddenly afraid. Then she watched his expression change. Some colour came back to his pale face. He looked so relieved for a second. Then the lines around his mouth became grim again. Fire burned in his eyes. He was furious.

"Professor, I was..." Koori tried to explain, but she was cut off.

"No need to explain your tardiness, Miss Kenmura. Take your seat immediately, turn to page 153, and see me after class." He then turned swiftly to his notes again. Koori saw that his knuckle turned white as he gripped the chalk. Before he finished the first stroke, the piece of chalk broke under the pressure. The crispy sound of chalk breaking echoed in the dungeon. No one dared to breathe.

Snape blinked, then dropped the remaining half piece of chalk. With a wave of his wand, the rest of the notes appeared.

"Get to work."He snarled.

And everyone did so.

"Professor..." Koori waited until all of the students had left the classroom, then approached Snape.

"I am very disappointed with you, Koori." Snape said without looking at her.

"I'm sorry." She bowed.

"For what?"

"I should've come to you after I returned. At least I should've sent a message. But I was too tired last night...­I am sorry that I made you worry."

Snape turned to look at her, long and hard. Finally, he said slowly: "You reek of blood."

It took Koori by surprise.

"Voldmort is certainly not dead." Snape went on, "Neither are you. Yet you reek of blood. I can smell it in your hair, your skin...in your eyes, too. What happened?"

Amazed and somewhat angry, Koori reached into the belt of her ninja uniform, and slammed Pettigrew's silver hand on Snape's table. With some twisted satisfaction, she watched his eyes grew wide.

"You killed him."Snape said quietly.

"And Nagini too."

Snape did not speak for a long time. It is the kind of silence that Koori feared. Not only Snape was silent, his face was also expressionless.

Koori hated it when she could not figure out what he was thinking. It made her feel uncertain of herself, and angry.

"What?"She finally said, "Aren't you suppose to be celebrating? I just killed one of his most important lackeys, and terminated his life source. As an enemy of him, aren¡¯t you supposed to be happy, instead of being...angry...­disappointed with me?"

"I tell you again." Snape said gravely, "I am disappointed. Your action is rash. Now you've certainly angered him, and he will seek revenge. He might kill you or me, if we are lucky. But the holiday is starting, you put other students' life in danger."

Koori felt like a bucket of cold water had poured down on her. The logical part of her knew that Snape was right. But still she felt rage boiling in her.

"Lucky?" Before she knew it, she had started yelling. "I trusted you. And here you say I'd be lucky of Voldemort come to kill me!"

"If you got killed this time, it is your own doing." Snape raised his voice as well. "Your mother sacrificed her sanity for you, now you've thrown all of her effort away. Look what you have become! A murderer!"

"I killed an enemy!"

"Your mother would never wish for you to take any life!"

"Mother, mother! All I am to you is just a promise to my mother, am I?"

"I promised her to take care of you, and I mean to keep the promise!"

"I DON'T WANT YOU TAKING CARE OF ME! GET OUT!"

It is then Hermione Granger walked into the classroom. Immediately feeling the unusual atmosphere, she froze.

Koori moved quickly to prevent her from seeing the silver hand on the table.

"Pro...­Professor, I... I forgot my..." Hermione stuttered.

"Out."Snape said harshly.

The girl fled.

Koori gave Snape an hateful look, stuffed the hand in her bag and raced out of the room. She slammed the door behind her and nearly knocked over two fourth-year Ravenclaws in the corridor.

Koori locked herself into her room for the next several days. She did not attend the last day of class, not did she come out for eating. Only on the third night, when she was fainting from hunger, she crept out to the kitchen and asked for a bowl of cereal. The elf provided her that and some roast beef plus a bowl of fruit. She thanked the elf, ate her cereal, put two apples in her sleeves and crept back to her hiding place. She didn't touch the roast beef.

The time spent in her room were used for thinking. Or rather, it was a combination of musing on her quest and being angry with everyone. Sometimes she was furious with herself because she knew Snape was right. She had pushed it too far. Voldemort knew her weakness well. He could easily kill some young muggle born students, or worse, Snape. Then a second later she would turn her rage toward Snape. How dare him! If he ever loved her mother, he should leave the poor woman out of this, never using her as an excuse! Her anger turned toward her mother, for giving birth to her; to Voldmort, for everything started with him. All her life Koori had never been so unstable. So much anger, hatred and memory filled her and almost suffocated her. At the end she was exhausted by her emotion, and was filled with despair. And only despair.

She was finally aware of the on-goings around her. It was already the morning of the third day. The first day of holiday. She could hear her housemates packing. Outside her window, the sky was gray, the worst shade of gray, without a trace of hope. Yet snow was falling. Flakes as large as her palm twisted in the wind and beat on her window. She could see nothing outside except snow. She opened the window. Snowflakes rushed in with gust of wind and beat on her face. She closed her eyes, feeling snow hitting harshly on her. Then she caught a piece of snowflake. It didn't melt in her hand. She stared at it and saw that her skin was translucent, just like the flake in her palm, only then she realized that she was showing her Form.

Snow started to pool at her feet. She pulled out her kotachi, pressed the blade on her wrist, where the skin was softest. She pressed harder and harder until blood oozed out and dripped down her arm, leaving traces like red silk thread, until it dripped onto the snow at her feet. Then suddenly the crimson droplets bloomed against the white snow.

Blossom of death. Koori was entranced by it. Then without her knowing, tears rushed out.

She understood now why her mother would sacrifice her sanity for her life as a normal girl, never harming anyone. Every blossom of death was exchanged by an extinguished life. Beautiful it was, yet so cruel it made her fear to look upon it.

The Slytherin dormitory was quiet now. Everyone had left to catch the train. But someone tapped on her door. She knew who it was, of course. Therefore she didn't answer.

"Kenmura!" Draco called outside the door. "Kenmura, are you all right?"

Still she said nothing.

"Look, I know you are in there. You missed classes and...Well, if you don't wish to open the door of talk to me or anything, it's all right."

Silence.

"Well¡­normally I would invite you home for the holiday, but my father wouldn't approve. You know he...­Anyway, I'm leaving now. I'm leaving you here notes from the classes you missed. And a notebook. It is magically bonded to my journal. If you wish to talk, just write in it, and I can read it in my journal, all right?"

Koori was somewhat moved by it, but silent she remained.

A quiet sigh came from the other side of the door. She could imagine him closing his eyes, letting out the sigh and leaned against her door.

"I don't know what happened. There's a lot gossiping out there. But whatever made you behave like this, it must've been serious. But you see, life is a bitch sometimes, and the world is hell. And if you are born into it, then you have to swallow it all. You can't take it personally. You just can't believe everything happened for a reason. It'll drive you mad. But just for yourself, you have to believe that you are here for a reason. And whatever comes in your way, you'll just have to smash it. All the way you may not see a single chance of winning, but you just have to keep going. Because you just might win." With another sigh, he left.

Koori rushed over to open the door, but she just saw the portrait hole closing and the notebook he talked about at her door.

Next day, which was Christmas Eve, snow had stopped. A snowy owl tapped on Koori's window. She let it in because she knew it was Harry's owl. Hedwig seemed to be its name, she thought.

"Hedwig?" She murmured weakly. It's been another 24 hours since she ate anything. The owl hooted at her and held out its talon. She saw there was a note. She didn't untie it immediately, instead, she asked the owl. "From Harry?"

The owl hooted affirmative.

"Does he expect me to give an answer?"

The owl hooted negative.

Finally, she untied the note and smile apologetically at the owl. "I'm sorry, I don't have anything for you. There are two apples, would you like to share one?"

Hedwig hooted nonchalantly and took off.

Koori sank into her bed and read the note.

"_Dear Koori:_

_I haven't seen you for days. But I know you are still here. I've seen your name on the sign up list. Hermione told me that you seemed to have a fight with Snape. I suppose that's what drove you into hiding? What really happened? There are several versions out here. Look, there is not love lost between me and that greasy bat, but I believe whatever he did, he just tried to protect you. Don't ask me why, but I trust him that much. I am not defending him or anything, it's just that I think it is not really nice to push away someone's sincere care like that. I don't know if it make sense to you._

_Well, what I am really trying to tell you in this note is that Professor Dumbledore is giving out a small feast for all those who stay at school over the holiday tonight. You haven't been out for days. You need to eat something. Please come. I'll be waiting for you at the entrance of the Great Hall at six p.m. sharp._

_Harry"_

Koori chuckled to herself. Harry Potter was defending Severus Snape. Why, this must be the end of the world. She thought about the feast later that night. There wouldn't be too many people. She knew for a fact that she was the only one left in her house. And Snape would never attend a "feast". Not much embarrassment there.

And soon enough a school owl came with the invitation from the headmaster. Christmas Round Table feast in the Great Hallat 6:30 pm sharp. Dress Code: semi-formal.

She reached out to the apple on her night stand, grabbed it, and bit a mouthful. Feeling the sweet juice stimulating her taste buds, she smiled at the ceiling.

Flipping over and opening Draco¡¯s notebook, she printed "THANK YOU" on the first page.

A/N: Well, I suppose by now I can only say that I am grateful for all those who read this story and still have interest in it. It is going much slower than I intended. I didn't write as much as I wished this summer, but I did read a lot. This chapter was actually intended to contain more action, but then I just can't stop on the details, I suppose it is a kind of character developing. Well, Draco is out of character...

Anyhow, big thank you to Fury's Grace, Saturnine the Possesive and Dragonmaster Kuai for reviewing.


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